Rise of The Bat
by IS6A6E
Summary: His army has betrayed him. His power is gone. But he still has his mind, his body, and his spirit. In order to create the world Nunnally desired, Lelouch must become something greater than Zero ever was. A silent guardian. A watchful protector. A dark knight.
1. The Day A Savior Was Born

**A/N: This is my first attempt at a story. So if it seems a little boring or not well written, go easy on me in the reviews. Also I do not own Code Geass or Batman Beyond. Those works belong to Sunrise and Warner Bros. Animation respectively.**

The rain was pouring harder tonight for some reason in Japan, or Area 11 as the Britannia called it. Some superstitious people believed that rain came because the creator himself was crying. And, at the moment, many believed that was true, for it was a sad day in Japan, and the world, for Japanese and Britannians alike. For vastly different reasons.

For the Japanese, they had lost their hero, Zero. Apparently, it was reported that he died in the recent battle against Britannia. Many doubted this, believing that a person like Zero could never be killed. But that's what the Black Knights reported, and slowly people began to lose hope.

The Britannians were morning because of the death of their Viceroy, Nunnally vi Britannia. It was announced that she was killed in the same fight as Zero was. Also, reports were coming in and rumors were spread of the disappearance of their Emperor, Charles Zi Britannia himself. Some believed him to be dead.

But amidst this time of mourning, three individuals were facing more depression than anyone at the current moment.

* * *

Onboard the Black Knights' flagship the Ikaruga, in her chambers the Black Knight's ace pilot Kallen Kozuki was full of confusion and sadness. She knew the reports of Zero's death being confirmed was a lie, trying to strengthen publicity. But that gave her no comfort whatsoever. Cause she and the high command of the Black Knights had no clue whatsoever if Zero was alive or dead.

_'Lelouch…'_ Kallen thought, the name echoing in her mind. Lelouch Lamperouge, or Lelouch vi Britannia, his birth name, or Zero, his masked persona, had founded the Black Knights from their original resistance group. Claiming that they were knights for justice.

As Zero she admired him and would've followed him anywhere. As Lelouch Lamperouge, she saw him as nothing more than another arrogant Britannian. In her mind, nothing could unite the two, nothing in her life could make her believe that the arrogant student was the Heroic masked figure. Until the day that she saw that the boy she couldn't stand was the man that she admired most. After that, her heart and mind were filled with confusion. She could never decide or find out who was the real man behind both masks. The man she so desperately wanted to know.

Only by having a talk with his sister Nunnally, when she was imprisoned, did her confusion cease. With her, she learned the truth: that Lelouch was always a kind caring person that would help out those in need. And then tragedy struck Lelouch, he lost his sister and a woman, Shirley, who loved him. Kallen sought to be there to comfort him and give him support, but the unthinkable happened.

The Black Knights, the very organization that Lelouch made, had turned on him. Their guns were pointed at him, claiming that he had put them under the spell of his Geass, a power they knew so little about. But it was more than enough to convince them to turn on him. Kallen was right by his side, ready to die with him.

But then he took off his mask, revealing his face to all, and claiming that every single one of them were nothing but pawns. And Kallen, he called her his greatest pawn. She didn't want to believe it, that the man she admired and loved would only see her as a pawn. But her heart and mind were too conflicted to think straight. So she walked out of the line of fire.

But then came those words. Those five words. That one sentence that has her rattled in confusion.

_"Kallen, you have to live."_

Before she could ever get her answer though, Lelouch escaped, with unintentional help. So now here she was, crying and mourning over her unanswered question. "Why Lelouch?" She asked herself, again. "Why would you call me a pawn, then tell me to live? Why?"

Perhaps he did it to torture her more. Or maybe he didn't see any of the Black Knights as pawns and only said those hurtful words for her to be out of the Black Knights weapons range. Either way, she needed to know. She had to, or else, she may never be able to move on.

* * *

Onboard the Britannian airship Avalon, Suzaku Kururugi, the Knight of Seven, an Honorary Britannian, was in a similar state thinking of the same man. Yet his depression was of guilt and loss.

To him, Lelouch was his first, real, and best friend. Someone he admired and believed in when they were younger, even if at first they were at each other's throats. After seven years of separation they saw each other again in the last place Suzaku would have expected, in a truck stolen by terrorists believed to be holding poison gas. His disgust quickly turned to joy at seeing his friend again.

Later after surviving a bullet from his commanding officer, he later piloted an experimental seventh generation Knightmare known as the Lancelot against the terrorist.

Later he was framed by the Purist faction when Prince Clovis was killed. But he was later saved by Zero. After the rescue, Zero tried to convince Suzaku to join him, yet he refused, not wanting to join up with a terrorist to try and change Britannia from within. Afterward, the two would later clash many times.

Then Suzaku's fate smiled on him when he met a beautiful girl. She was not like most Britannians, she had compassion and love for all people, Britannian or not. And Suzaku fell in love with her. Princess Euphemia li Britannia.

But when Zero had killed her and made her massacre innocent civilians, or so he believed, Suzaku was thrown into a lust for vengeance against the masked man. He was willing to do whatever it took to kill Zero. Only when he caught him, did the horrible truth be revealed that behind that mask is his own best friend.

He captured Lelouch and brought him before his father the Emperor as a gift, in exchange to become a member of the knights of the round. He betrayed his best friend for a position of power, something Suzaku wouldn't stand for, ever.

And he liked it. No, he _loved_ it.

Zero emerged a year later. Suzaku had suspicions that Lelouch was under the mask again, but he could never prove it. He was desperate to get answers so he could be justified to kill Lelouch. He even went so far to drug Kallen with Refrain to make her tell him. But he stopped himself.

When he was about to be killed in battle, his 'live' command that Lelouch put on him had made him fire off an experimental warhead that ended up destroying the Tokyo Settlement. The blast killed thousands of lives, including Nunnally. That was when his naive philosophies finally broke and he saw the world for what it truly is.

When he went to assassinate the Emperor on orders from Prince Schneizal, he learned that the Emperor was planning something that would ruin the whole world. However, when he arrived Lelouch was already there to kill his father.

It was then when Suzaku learned the true nature behind Euphie's death and her killing the Japanese. It was all an accident. Lelouch had never meant to hurt anyone at the SAZ, only himself. After the death of the Emperor, the two made amends and then parted ways.

It's been a week since the event and he hasn't heard anything new from or about Lelouch or Zero. When he got back, he was questioned about what happened. Suzaku responded that the Knight of One had knocked him unconscious, and when he came too he heard the Emperor had disappeared. Nor had he heard any contact from Lelouch.

_'Lelouch.'_ Suzaku thought to himself as he stared at the stormy night as lightning flashed in the sky._ 'I don't know where you are, or what you're doing, but I know this. If you ever need me, Lelouch, I will be there for you. Count on it!'_

* * *

As he sat alone in some random ally in the pouring rain, the only source of cold he could feel was from his own heart. Which was heavy with regret, guilt, shame, sadness, anger, depression, defeat, etc. He was cold, alone, and most of all, lost.

As the lightning flash above his head and the sound of thunder boomed in his ears, Lelouch vi Britannia looked over the events in his life as he sat in the cold rain.

His mother's 'death', his exile with Nunnally, meeting Suzaku, the war. His time at Ashford, getting his Geass from C.C., meeting Kallen, Reuniting with Suzaku, creating Zero, killing Clovis. Forming the Black Knights, Shirley's confession, him erasing her memories of him. Accidentally Geassing Euphie to kill the Japanese then her death by his hands, his capture by Suzaku, being brought before his father, and having his memories rewritten. Living with his 'brother' Rolo, getting his memories back, saving the Black Knights. Fighting Nunnally, nearly using Refrain as an escape from his troubles, being saved by Kallen, finding his purpose again. Losing Kallen to Suzaku, Shirley's death, eliminating the Geass order, Nunnally's death. Being betrayed by the Black Knights, lying to save Kallen, being saved by Rolo, and the boy dying. Confronting his father in C's world, seeing his mother again, learning the truth that he and Nunnally were abandoned. Rejecting the world they wanted, asking the collective subconscious of humanity to continue the march of time, and erasing them for existence.

And finally was C.C.'s death.

In order to prevent another Geass user from doing what Charles and Marianne sought to do, she sacrificed herself to destroy the power of Geass everywhere. Users lost their power, and immortals lost their Codes. As did Lelouch lose his own cursed power.

Afterward, Lelouch explained everything to Suzaku about what really happened with Euphie, how Shirley died, everything. And then Suzaku did the one thing Lelouch would never expect: he forgave him. And even more, he promised to be there if Lelouch ever needed him.

Though that promise held little meaning considering Lelouch had nothing now. Not the Black Knights, not Nunnally, not Kallen, not family (that loved him). He had nothing, absolutely nothing left. And all he wanted was to see memories of a past life. A happier life.

Which makes sense because he's holding within his had a vile of Refrain, ready to lose himself in the hallucinations. Last time he had done this, Kallen had come and saved him from injecting himself with the drug. But that wasn't happening this time. He was alone in an alley, no one knew he was there, and no one was coming to save him, not this time. And he didn't want anyone too.

Lelouch pressed the needle against his skin, thumb on the injector, ready to lose himself in the drug. He knew that once he took it, he wouldn't be able to escape from its hold. Hopefully, he would get run over by a bus or som-

**"HELP!"**

Lelouch stopped, his fingers jumped at the noise, the needle mere centimeters away from contact with his skin. He turned to the source of the noise. In the entrance to the alley he was hiding in he saw three people. Two were Japanese, a man and a woman, and the other was a large Britannian man.

"No one's coming to save you stinkin' elevens!" The large man replied. The two Japanese held faces of pure terror on them.

"Just take whatever you want!" The Japanese man replied as he and his companion were backed into a wall with nowhere to go. "Take it and leave us alone!"

Lelouch looked around for someone, anyone other than him in the area that would help the couple, so he could be left alone to take the drug and sink in his despair.

But there was no one. And even if there was, a Britannian would only join in on tormenting the two, and a Japanese would be too scared to act. It was only him.

The Britannian reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife. Lelouch's eyes widen

That was it!

He had to take action! Now! Or that innocent couple would die! While he didn't have his Geass anymore, nor was he very capable in a fight, he had to do something!

Taking a deep breath, Lelouch charged the man.

"You eleven's deserve to drown in the ghettos and die. Just like Ze-" He didn't finish as Lelouch leaped then tackled him to the ground. The man dropped his knife and it clattered somewhere on the wet ground.

"Get off me you son of a-" He didn't finish as Lelouch struck his face. While he held little to no love of his mother now, he still didn't tolerate that kind of language toward women. Though he did completely agree with the man's statement about his mother.

While Lelouch never had as much physical prowess as Suzaku and Kallen, his time as Zero and fighting against Britannia had given him at least some strength to hold his own in a fight. But would it be enough?

He could run away. Get out of the alley and escape. However, he took one glance behind him to the Japanese couple. There was terror in their eyes but also hope that Lelouch would save them.

Not Zero, Lelouch.

He couldn't just leave them here. He had to help these people, even if it costs him his own life. Taking a deep breath, he clenched his fists and prepared to make his last stand.

The man charge. Lelouch ducked and struck his gut and then swung his hand across his face. An elbow went to Leocuh's face, warm liquid fell from his nose to his mouth. Then a punch to his gut, he bent over. Then a strike to his face sent Lelouch to the cold, wet ground.

"This is what you get for playing hero you little turd." The Britannian said as he kicked Lelouch in his stomach. "You know what happens to heroes you brat?" He came down and whispered in Lelouch's ear. "They die."

As Lelouch laid on the cold wet ground of the alley, only thoughts of defeat flowed through his brilliant mind. _'So this is it? __After all my struggles, all my sacrifices, all my suffering, all my victories, and losses, this is how I die? Alone in an alleyway, by the hands of an idiot.'_

He then took a glance at the couple. Their faces held a look of desperation. Desperation for him to get up and help them. To _save_ them.

Suddenly, something strong, powerful, emerged in Lelouch's spirit.

**NO!** He wouldn't die here! If he did, those innocent people would suffer for his weakness, and he would be insulting Nunnally's dream of a gentle world!

**HE** had to do something!

In the corner of his eye, he spotted a brick only a few inches from his hand. He moved his hand slightly and subtly to grab the brick.

"Heroes don't die," Lelouch muttered under his breath as his fingers brushed against the brick.

"What?" The brute asked leaning down to hear.

"Heroes don't die," He repeated as he gripped the brick. Then, in one swift motion, he rose and swung the brick in hand viciously across the man's face! The brick shattered on impact!

**"THEY'RE REBORN!"** He declared in a voice that was more powerful than he ever held as Zero.

He then grabbed the man by the face and slammed it against the brick wall of the alley, knocking him out!

Lelouch was breathing heavily. He was exhausted, adrenaline was now leaving his body, and fatigue was replacing it. He looked over to the couple, they both held mixed looks. But what took precedence over them all, was the look of relief and joy. Lelouch smiled brightly at that look.

* * *

The couple, now identified as Warren and Mary McGinnis, had been constantly thanking Lelouch for what he did. They had invited him over to their apartment for dinner, which he tried to decline, but they insisted. Mary had made a delicious meatloaf alone with some rice. It had been one of the grandest meals that Lelouch had eaten in a long time.

After passing it out all the food, Mary joined the two. "Thank you!" Warren said to Lelouch, for about the hundredth thousandth time. And Lelouch was starting to get tired of it.

Mary and Warren looked that Lelouch had barely started eating his second portion. With the way how he gouged down his first, they thought he would consume the whole meatloaf and then more. They saw in his eyes that he held great sadness, and are confused about what could be causing their rescuer such depression.

"What's got you down a young man like you?" Mary asked in concern as she moved to place a comforting hand on his arm. Lelouch recoiled in shock at the action of affection.

He was uncomfortable with these kinds of things, as usual. Especially since these were complete strangers. "I'm fine," Lelouch replied taking a carrot in his fork and putting it in his mouth

The two were obviously not believing the boy. "You know," Warren spoke up, "talking about whatever's hurting you helps out a lot."

Lelouch sighed. Clearly, these two were determined to help their savior any way they could. "Where do I begin?" Lelouch asked himself as he put his silverware down. He then gave a summarized explanation of what happened, without mentioning the Black Knights, referring to them as a group, or him being Zero.

The couple were both horrified and amazed at the boy. The former because of all the terrible things that had happened to him, and the latter at how he was still standing and that he hadn't committed suicide yet.

"But most of it was really my fault," Lelouch admitted as he continued. "I made mistakes and decisions that led to all those terrible things to happen to me. So when you two sit here and treat me with love and call me a hero, that's a lie."

Warren and Mary saw that Lelouch was slipping into a deeper depression. Then, Warren had an idea. "Look, son," he started, "I get what you're going through. I went through the exact same thing at your age." This earned him a raised eyebrow from Lelouch. "Okay, maybe not the exact same thing." This earned him a chuckle from Mary, and surprisingly Lelouch.

"What I mean is," Warren continued, "when Britannia invaded Japan, I was alone. I lost my parents, my siblings. Then my closest friend died in the carnage that followed. I was left alone in the world in a state of total depression, that was when refrain came out. And I was this close to taking it." He demonstrated by having his fingers nearly touching.

Lelouch was stunned. To learn that this man was in the same state as him only an hour ago.

"But," Warren continued, catching Lelouch's attention again, "If I had given in to the drug, then I would have let Britannia succeed in breaking my spirit. So I worked hard to pull myself out of that gutter I got myself into. And that's when I met Mary." He then grabbed his wife's hand and squeezed it tightly. "She was my world. She pulled me out of the darkness into the light."

The two looked back to Lelouch. "What you need to do is find your purpose again, your reason to keep living," Mary said. "I'm sure your friend had his reasons for betraying you. I believe that you don't need your club to make a difference in the world. I know that the girl you love will be with you forever if you just tell her how you feel. And I absolutely know that your sister would be proud of you for what you did tonight."

Lelocuh thought about it, and they were right. Suzaku hadn't really betrayed him, Schneizal only made it seem like that to hurt Lelouch. The Black Knights, sure he started them, but he didn't need them to bring justice to the corruption of the world, at least not under the guise of Zero that is. Kallen, he loved her so much that he was willing to lie and face death alone to protect her, and if he ever saw her again he would tell her the truth. And Nunnally, she would be proud that Lelouch was able to help out a pair of strangers. Because that's the world she wanted: where kindness was extended to everyone even strangers.

And then, it dawned on Lelouch._ 'That's it!'_ Lelouch thought with realization. That was his purpose: to create the world what his sister always dreamed of and desired. Just because Nunnally wasn't around anymore, didn't mean that he had to abandon that quest. He would work for that world, to honor Nunnally's memory.

Warren and Mary saw a positive change in their savior, and both silently agreed to share with him something else. "You say you aren't a hero," Warren spoke up, catching Lelouch's attention. "But to us, you will always be a hero. Because you didn't save two people in that alley tonight." He then began to rub his wife's stomach.

"You saved three."

* * *

_The Next Morning_

Lelouch left the McGinnis' apartment after breakfast, thanking them for their food and hospitality. He also told them his name so they could at least have a good memory of him to share. They offered to have him stay at their place till he could get back on his feet, but he refused, saying that he had a place set up for him by some friends.

Which wasn't a lie, except these 'friends' were Geassed. It was a hidden bunker only he knew about. He had it built in case any of the Black Knight's bases had been compromised, or if he needed to start over. In this case the latter.

It was stocked with advanced technology, Knightmare materials, and a large amount of money he kept from gambling. So it should be fully equipped to help him start over.

But before he went there, he had one stop to make.

He had to do this, he had to put the past where it belonged: the past. He boarded a train to an area close to his destination and walked the rest of the way. The area was sealed off but Lelouch had managed to sneak in.

As he walked through the destroyed buildings and ruined homes of the ghetto, Lelouch felt a pit growing in his stomach. It was sickening to see all of this. Even after nearly two years, it was still sickening. He couldn't believe Clovis, a once kind-hearted gentleman, could cause all this death and destruction, just to cover something up. But, he remembered that he was a child of Charles Zi Britannia. But, then again, so was Lelouch and so many others.

After much walking, he finally arrived at his destination. It hadn't changed one bit. Except for the dead bodies of royal guards, who had committed suicide on Lelouch's orders, were now gone.

This is it.

This is where it all started.

Where his true war with Britannia began.

Where he got his Geass power.

Where he became alive again after being 'dead' for so long.

Where Zero was born.

And this is where Zero needs to be buried.

Last night he decided he would work to change the world into a kind and gentle one like Nunnally desired. And he would protect everyone this time. Not just Japanese or his friends, but Britannian, Chinese, Europeans, everyone would be protected by him.

But he couldn't do any of that as Zero anymore. Zero was dead, and his image was now in control of the Black Knights. Besides, Zero was born out of vengeance to destroy Britannia. Zero was dead and he needed to stay dead.

He needed to create a new symbol. One born of the will to save a life, not to destroy it. One that would instill fear into those who commit injustice and inspired hope in those who are afraid to rise up. Like Zero, except the one that would inspire an indomitable spirit that would inspire them to choose the right.

But, if he was gonna do this again, he also couldn't become the killer and manipulator he once was. To honor the memory of those he lost and create a gentle world that Nunnally wished for, he had to become someone else. Something else. Something greater than he ever was before.

_'But what?'_ He asked himself._ 'What symbol could replace, or even surpass, that of Zero?' _Were some of the questions that were floating around in his mind.

Lelouch was so absorbed in his thinking that he didn't even notice that what was coming.

Suddenly, a figure burst through a window above him, shocking Lelouch out of his mind with sudden fear! Time slowed as hundreds of shards of glass fell down in slow motion, to his perspective, with the figure's body reflecting off the pieces of glass.

Lelouch, filled with fear at the shape and appearance, followed the creature's flight path as it flew and perched itself on one of the many barrels in the broken-down building. It shrieked, holding a fear of its own of Lelouch himself, but it also sounded as if it was almost speaking to Lelouch, communicating with him.

As he gazed into the wide black ebony eyes, old memories and feelings bubbled up in the surface of his mind. Memories of his greatest fear before he lost his mother.

After a long moment of staring the creature down, the fear that enveloped Lelouch's being was replaced with another powerful feeling.

Clarity.

_'Yes…' _Lelouch thought to himself with grim satisfaction as he smiled like the demon he used to be.

He found it!

As a child, it frightened him. But now it was going to be his new symbol. The symbol he needed to save the people of this world and bring hope to the oppressed and fear of the oppressors. The symbol that would replace Zero.

_'... I shall become a bat!'_

**A/N: So what do you think? **

**Just so you know, I have this whole story mostly planned out. Meaning I have a clear idea for the ending and what I plan to have happened to get there. And yes, Lelouch had a fear of bats in his childhood like Bruce Wayne did.**

**Next chapter we'll see Lelouch in his new persona and it impacts on Japan and it's citizens.**


	2. Creature of The Night

**A/N: Forgot to put this in my last chapter, but Code Geass and Batman Beyond are works that are not owned by me or anyone else I know. So don't throw me in jail. **

**And now here we will see some Batman action, hope you all enjoy it.**

_3 months later_

David Kane, AKA The Black King. Formally known as the Black Prince, the former Black King's son is one of the largest philanthropists in Japan. Supposedly he not only helps Britannians but Japanese as well by providing them medication to help them with psychological issues.

But it's really all a lie.

He actually is the head of a major crime syndicate that plagues all of Japan and a major supplier of Refrain for all of the continent and beyond. The Drug was popular amongst the Japanese at first, but with all that has been happening as of late, Britannians have been taking the drug as well, increasing the profits tenfold.

His biggest shipment was down at the docks tonight. Security was tight, tighter than normal, and for good reason too.

Recently, over the last few nights, someone, or something, was attacking shipments all across the continent. No one was dead so far, only left with broken bones and shattered teeth, so it wasn't a rival syndicate or gang, neither the police because he had a majority of them in his pocket. Some of his people in prison said the culprit was just one guy or some creature. But they were most likely drunk. Because how could one person possibly do something like that by themselves? Even Zero had some help.

Regardless, someone, or something, was out there, ruining business for the new Black King. And he hated that more than anything. So he came down here tonight to personally make sure that the shipments were delivered on time, and to deal with this problem.

Tonight.

* * *

Meanwhile, in another section of the docks, a group of thugs was loading shipments of Refrain into shipping contains to be transported to another country, or another dock, for profit.

One wandered off to a nearby container and was placing a crate down into it. Suddenly he was ripped into the darkness of the container, giving off a yelp that startled the group he was with.

Two of the members walked cautiously over to the container. "Hey! Nash?" One called out to the darkness of the container. When the two were closer, the same thug called out again. "Nash?"

The lightbulbs above them began to shatter one by one quickly. When the one above them broke, a small weirdly shaped object clanked to the ground in front of the duo. The closest knelt down to pick it up. "What is this?" He asked. His partner gave a shrug that said 'how should I know?'

He looked back to the object in his hand. It was small, colored black with red outlines on what looked like wings that extended from the middle line of the object. Almost looks like a-

He turned to his partner, who was staring at the sky above him with astonishment. "What?" He asked. No response. He followed his gaze up to a crane that was hanging above them. And hanging from that was- "What the-"

It dropped on the thug.

* * *

**"ARGH!"**

The scream caught everyone's attention. All those present ceased their current activities and fell into high alert. The Black King stopped talking to one of his higher command thugs to listen. Something just happened.

* * *

Back at the other side, a thug, who was carrying an automatic weapon, was glancing around at all angles in the maze of shipping containers around him, searching for the disturbance. He then heard fast-paced footsteps coming from a corridor and turned to see one thug running for dear life, pure terror in his eyes.

The running thug made a turn down another pass when he saw the gun. He slammed into a crate and kept on running for his life. Only to get snatched up by a shadow.

* * *

The higher-ranked member of his organization came over to the Black King and spoke in his ear, "There's something going on here," Obviously yes there was. The question is: what? "You better bail." the thug advised before walking away to join his companions. The man wasn't worried about the Black King, more of his paycheck though.

But he was right. Bailing out now would be the best and safest option. But the Black King shook his head.

'_No_.' He told himself. He at least needed to see who was behind all these annoyances, that way he could at least know what to expect and have an idea of who to target.

* * *

The thug carrying the automatic weapon was breathing trembling. His eyes were moving around in all directions. Panic, terror, fear, etc. was enveloping his body. Also, a warm liquid substance began filling in his pants and running down his leg.

In the corner of his eye, he notices something black moves between shipping containers. Turning, he pulled the trigger and the bullets went flying in the direction, hitting nothing. Again he saw another shadow as he pulled the trigger. The same result.

Finally feeling frustrated at this sick game of cat and mouse, he called out in anger to the darkness. **"WHERE ARE YOU?!"**

**"Here."** The darkness responded.

* * *

The Black King was walking around the maze of shipping containers of the shipyard, looking for signs of the assailant or his thugs. But he found no one. What was happening to his men?

* * *

The rest of the thugs gathered around in a circle to make sure they wouldn't be taken by surprise. All of a sudden, a dark shadow dropped in the middle of their circle. Before any of the thugs knew what was happening, the shadow began tearing them all apart.

* * *

The Black King rounded a corner to see the circle of his men…

And a black, demonic figure that was tearing them all apart. Blazing through them like they were nothing.

The Black King was frozen, not moving an inch from where he stood watching the display in front of him. Was this what was targeting his Refrain shipments? He just stood there, believing that the overwhelming number of his men could take them out.

But the figure was plowing through them like air. No signs of fatigue or slowing down, he just kept cutting them like a knife through melted butter. Nothing about it seemed human.

The Black King started to back away. Believing that leaving now was the best course of action. Better to live in ignorance than be broken in knowledge.

He made his way back to his car. "Alright go!" He called to the driver. The driver didn't start the car. He looked up to see that the driver was now unconscious. "Crap!" He said to himself, reaching for his shotgun.

* * *

The figure broke the last thug. It then looked around at its handy work. Every thug was down, alive, but completely broken. The figure then stepped over them to its next quarry.

* * *

The Black King was shaking in fear. That man, or thing, had taken down all his men like they were nothing. On top of that, it had somehow managed to incapacitate his driver.

He was looking around in all directions as he was loading bullet shells in his shotgun, with shaking hands. "What the heck are you?!" He asked rhetorically looking around.

As if on cue, a black claw smashed through the glass sunroof of the car. The black claw gripped the suit of the Black King fiercely and ripped him out of the vehicle. When he was pulled out, he caught his breath at the figure.

No, the demon!

It was clad in darkness. Blades emerged from its forearms. Ears were long, pointed, and sleek. White eyes bore into the Black King's soul as if the creature was judging him and sentencing him off to the devil's domain. On its chest was a blood-red symbol of a-

**"I'm Batman!"** The demon answered.

The so-called 'King' was shaking in fear at the voice. This demon, this Batman, had spoken to him. He even felt warm wetness emerge in his pants. The 'Batman' brought his head back and slammed into the man's face.

* * *

_"Good afternoon world! I'm Milly Ashford! Here to bring you the latest in what's happening on our beautiful blue planet!"_

_"The most pressing issue is the death of Zero and the disappearance of the Emperor. It has been a little over three months since the former was declared dead, and the latter was declared missing. Some believe that the disappearance of the Emperor may be retaliation for the death of Zero, however, this act of revenge goes against what the Black Knights stand for."_

_"While others believe that Zero was never dead but the announcement was a ruse to have Zero secretly kill the Emperor, while that would make sense, others have asked 'Why hasn't Zero reappeared after the death to claim victory or maybe he died in his confrontation with the Emperor?' The Black Knights and the Britannian royal family have refused to comment on either of this."_

_"In other news, Philanthropist, entrepreneur, and society bash David Kane, also known as the Black King to the criminal underworld, was arrested last night in a dockyard not too far off from the remains of the Tokyo Settlement. He was arrested for Refrain distribution and smuggling. But what was more interesting was that when the police arrived, the 'King' and his 'royal knights' were already tied up and ready for the police to take into custody."_

_"When asked what attacked him and his men, in his own words, the crime lord responded: 'It was a demon! A demon I tell you! It's white eyes! It's a demonic voice. It called itself Batman!' That was the comment that Mr. Kane gave before he was pulled away for psychological treatment at a mental health facility for the criminally insane."_

_"But now onto this 'Batman'. This isn't the first time we've heard of a man-sized bat creature taking down criminals in Japan. Over the past few weeks, the police have picked up multiple criminals taken down and tied up. The criminals, and eyewitness accounts that all report the same thing: a large bat- creature did it. Also, eyewitnesses on both the Britannian and Japanese side have seen this man, or creature, saving lives of civilians whether they be Britannian, Japanese, or any other nationality. One could say that now with Zero gone, this Batman has taken it upon himself to be the knight of justice Zero was."_

_"But what's more interesting is that this man, or creature, was alone. No army, no soldiers, not even a gang. All witnesses, criminals, and bystanders have said that it was only one man. And, even more shocking, there have been no deaths reported so far. Some theories report that a rival gang is sending someone to put the fear of the man upstairs in the hearts of criminals, but that seems unlikely, due to this Batman going after all major crime syndicates."_

_"While The Batman's true goals remain a mystery, this reporter can safely say, Batman, if you're out there watching this broadcast, you've got a fan in me! Now onto sports. Boring!"_

* * *

"This is bull!" Tamaki yelled as the newswoman finished with a smile and a thumbs up.

"Yeah," Ohgi responded. "If people keep questioning what's happened to Zero, we may not be able to keep our image up. Especially if they come up with we were the ones who killed him."

"What?! No! I'm saying we should have taken credit for the Emperor's death! Not let it all be rumors or such!" Tamaki clarified, confused as to why they didn't agree with him.

"Except we didn't kill him." Tohdoh chimed in. "If we announce that now, we would have the full force of the Britannian military upon us. Not only that, but it could also compromise the deal with Schneizal of getting Japan back."

"Zero isn't dead either," Kallen suddenly came into the conversation. "Yet we still reported that to the people." Everyone then turned to the redhead ace of their organization. For three months Kallen had brought up the topic of how it was wrong to betray Lelouch.

"Kallen we've been over this for three months now," Ohgi said, clearly exhausted of this repeated topic. Why couldn't she just see him for who he really was? "Lelouch used us. Used his Geass on us to make do things against our will, why after all this time are you still defending him?"

That was a good question. After all the things that had happened, why was she still defending him? After all the terrible things that had been revealed, why hasn't she brought herself to hate and despise him yet? But she knew the answer. It was those five words.

But she couldn't tell that to Ohgi or anyone else because if she did, they would most likely assume it to be a lie and argue that she was under Geass. So she gave the answer she always gave him.

"Where did we learn of the things Lelouch had done from?" She asked him instead. "From Schneizal, a Britannian Prince, an enemy of Lelouch and us. He probably knew the best way to hurt him and us would be to have us betray him. How can we even be sure that anything he said was the truth? You say we can't trust Lelouch, but what makes you think we can trust Schneizel? Just because he said he'd give us Japan? And by taking this deal we are betraying the other members of the U.F.N.!"

Kallen and Ohgi stared fiercely at each other. The tension was clear to every occupant in the room. Not wanting to have another argument with curses being thrown back and forth between the two, Tohdoh attempted to change the subject. "What should we do about this 'Batman'?" He asked.

That question had made Ogi stop for a minute in his conversation with Kallen and looked to Tohdoh. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"I mean how should we treat him?" Tohdoh clarified as he looked toward the television screen. "As the newswoman said, we don't know his goals or his objectives. So far he's only gone around taking down criminals and helping civilians. Do we ask him to join us? Hunt him down? Let him do what he wants? What should we do?"

Everyone pondered on those questions for a minute. So far this Batman hasn't made any move against the Black Knights or the U.F.N. or Schneizel yet. And he seemed content to only take down drug dealers, criminal, crime lords, etc.

After moments of silence the decision was made. "For now, nothing," Ohgi stated. "So far he hasn't made any move against us or our allies. We can leave him to be where he is targeting low leveled thugs and crime lords. But if he makes a move against us or our allies, we'll take him down." The other contemplated on Ohgi's words for a moment before nodding in agreement.

* * *

The broadcast changed to sports in the lounge reserved for Knights of the Round which only three currently occupied. Some of the remaining knights believed in those words about the Black Knights wanting revenge against Britannia for what they did to Zero. Others didn't believe it. But only two people alive knew exactly what happened, and one was sitting in the room with the knights.

When Lelouch called him three months ago for help, Suzaku wasn't expecting his friend to go out at night now dressed as a bat fighting crime. But Suzaku made a promise that he was going to be there for Lelouch from now on. So he helped in any way he could, which was mostly physical training and piloting. Which Lelouch was not happy about. Not. One. Bit!

The other things Lelouch needed were some of the most recent and advanced breakthroughs in Knightmare technology so Lelouch could stay a decent step ahead of the game. And inside information on what was happening with Britannia and the Blck Knights if possible.

"Now there's someone I would kill to meet!" The Knight of Three, Gino Weinberg, yelled ecstatically. "I mean, the dude calls himself Batman for crying out loud, and he takes down crime bosses and criminals like there nothing! Who wouldn't want to meet him?! What do you think Anya?"

Anya, the Knight of Six, was on her phone. She had this habit of taking pictures and recording videos and storing them in her phone. In the past three months though she seemed more cheerful and alive. Suzaku knew the reason was that the soul Marianne vi Britannia, Lelouch's mother, was extinguished from her body. So she was more talkative, but still a little shy.

"Well," Anya began, unsure for a moment, "He would probably make a great picture for me to put on my phone."

Gino had a hilarious look of disbelief on his face. "That's it?!" He cried, not believing her words. "The dude sounds like a total bad***! And all you want is to take his picture and put it on your phone?! What about you Suzaku!?"

Suzaku turned to face the blonde idiot. "You do realize that by killing to meet him you may receive a beat down and a lot of broken bones from him, right?" Suzaku warned the boy.

Gino simply shrugged apparently not caring. "It'd be totally worth it anyway! And I'd be even touched by him, in a more violent way I'll admit, but it'd still be perfect!" Gino declared in his usual cheery voice.

Suzaku merely rolled his eyes.

* * *

"Good old madam President," Lelouch commented cheerfully as the broadcast finished playing on one of the many screens connected to the bat computer. "She always did take things to the extreme. In a good and bad way." Lelouch grimaced as he remembered most of her insane festivals.

Lelouch was currently sitting in a black tight long sleeve top, that we're able to highlight his now muscular arms, with black pants, along with black combat boots. While he still wasn't at the level women went crazy for, he now had definable muscles and abs to go along with it. All thanks to Suzaku's training regimen.

Which was a whole other nightmare that he did not want to remember right now.

Off to the side was his bat-suit that was being scanned by a machine. The scan of the suit showed up on one of the many monitors on the computer. Lelouch noticed at the docks that the suit was reacting a little slower to his movements than usual. Still got the job done, but that decrease in speed could cost him in the future.

_'Just move this code around here and… there! Problem solved!'_

As he worked to fix any more glitch that came up in the suits software, he thought back to the previous three months.

He could hardly believe he was about to succumb to Kane's own Refrain. Now, he took down the petty crime lord and installed his presence in the underworld. All in all, a good victory.

And yet Lelouch didn't feel like it was a victory, at least not like one when he was Zero. Lelouch created Batman as a way for people to move on from Zero and believe in a true knight of justice, not the lie of justice he created with Zero. But he knew it would take time to replace a symbol like Zero. He should know, he created Zero. And it was gonna be a lot of hard work to bury that name. Something Lelouch actually looked forward to.

He also thought about the moments when he was creating Batman. The suit he built with technology from Wayne Enterprises, where Warren had fortunately worked. Suzaku had been invaluable with the Knightmare specs for the new one he was building. He already had his old one, but he needed to make a new one. One that would fit his current persona.

After the diagnostic was complete, Lelouch decided to run some AR simulations to test the suits enhances. The challenges followed in order. A fistfight on a city rooftop, a stealth mode in an abandoned hospital, and finally another fistfight but with the enemies holding weapons such as swords and clubs inside an abandoned building.

As the simulation ran, Lelouch's mind thought of how much he had changed since becoming Batman.

For starters, he stopped killing. He always said "that the only ones who should kill are those prepared to be killed." and he was once always ready to die. But not now. He had too much to live for, and to make up for, to die now.

Two: Zero always proclaimed that he was a knight of justice, but that was a ploy to gain the people's trust at first. But Batman was a true knight of justice from the beginning. And he would always be one from that moment on.

Three: Was that Zero was only against Britannia most of the time. But Batman would fight all injustices and protect all life, Britannian or not. Like a true hero would, like what he wanted to be.

Four: Zero always made a big spectacle of his accomplishments. Batman did his work in the shadows, hiding from his enemies and taking them down one by one. That made it more difficult for people to figure out his plans.

Five, which wasn't that big of a difference from Zero: Batman didn't wear a cape. At first he tried to make Batman have a cape to help with intimidation and the fear tactics, but he didn't want the cape for mere style like it was for Zero. He wanted the cape to be functional and have a greater purpose than intimidation, such as gliding and shielding from fire or other dangerous elements. But after experimenting with multiple different materials that would make up the cape that he would wear, Lelouch abandoned the idea altogether. Any of the material he wanted to use weighed a ton! It was like carrying around a circus tent on his back! Besides, he was able to manage with the wings that could extend from his arms and the rocket boosters just fine, and more so. Also the suit material itself would protect him from fire and other dangerous elements like the cape would.

Also as he was going through the training simulation, his mind drifted towards her. He thought about her, dreamed about her. Heavy guilt always came upon him when she entered his mind. Over him lying and hurting her with his words. He wanted to call her, to explain to her his reasons for saying those words and ask for forgiveness.

But… every time he wanted to reach for the phone and call her, he restrained himself. He knew that the Black Knights were still hunting him, so any communication he had with Kallen would only put her in danger and ruined everything he was trying to do. And he would not allow her, or anyone else for that matter, to be in danger because of him. If anyone was gonna be in danger of losing their lives in one of Lelouch's crazy plans anymore, it was gonna be him, and only him.

He was always fine when it was his life on the line. But never Kallen's life, or at least not at his expense. He wasn't going to let Kallen be used as a weapon against him, not like Nunnally was. So he couldn't communicate with her, or go to her directly. He, for another of the rare times in his life, didn't know what to do regarding a problem.

So all he knew he could do for the moment was concentrating his frustration on the challenge he was doing. And that frustration greatly helped focus his mind. He was able to beat his old score by a few minutes, a great improvement.

Taking off the suit and placing it back under the scanner, he walked over to the Batcomputer to see how the system update he gave the suit improved its performance. _'Okay not bad.'_ Lelouch thought with great satisfaction as he reviewed the data. _'That system update definitely helped get the lax of the suit down, so I should be able to move faster now.'_

_**"ALERT! ALERT!"**_ A robotic voice rang out around the Bat-Bunker.

The alarm on the Batcomputer went off! The monitors were blinking red with a warning sign that signaled something happened! Lelouch switch screens to see what was causing the disturbance.

The news was going over a hostage situation happening at a warehouse down in one of the remaining Ghettos. The culprits were armed with several Knightmares, looks to be about advanced eighth-generation frames, too advanced for common criminals, which meant something was wrong.

The hostage was Japanese. That wasn't good. Not only that, but the kidnapper was the Black King. Lelouch growled. He should have expected prison wasn't gonna hold a man like David Kane. His goons must have sprung him when he first got to the jail and took a hostage as an incentive to keep law enforcement, and Lelouch/Batman, away from him.

But that only fueled his desire to take Kane down.

Lelouch needed to act fast, mainly because he had a strong suspicion that the Britannian police force wasn't going to be overly cautious about an 'eleven' in danger. Rising out of his chair, he grabbed and went to put on his suit. When he was fully suited up, he walked over to a large sheet that was hanging over something tall.

"Haven't exactly tested this in actual combat yet," Lelouch reminded himself before he yanked the sheet off the large object. But when he got a good look at it, he couldn't help but smile in anticipation and excitement. "But you know what they always say: 'Ain't no test like a field test.' or something like that."

**A/N: Yes my batsuit is based off Batman Beyond, because this is crossed over with Batman Beyond. I'm doing Batman Beyond because that was where Batman was actually a teenager and Lelouch is a teenager so I thought that would fit perfectly. **

**Also Batman's first appearance was the shipyard from Batman Begins. I figured that would be a great way to have Batman show his presence to the underworld. But I also don't own Batman Begins, so don't sue me. I'm gonna use a lot of the initial fighting from the films because I think the fighting is boss and will be awesome.**

**And yes, this is a Kalulu fanfic, because I love that pairing and any stories with it.**

**Next time, we'll see Batman's new Knightmare in action and we'll see how Lelouch's skills have evolved since becoming the caped crusader. Just without the cape.**


	3. Knight of Justice

**A/N: I don't own anything code Geass or Batman Beyond. Also, we're gonna see some Knightmare action. So enjoy!**

The area surrounding the warehouse in the ghetto was flooding with flashing blue and red lights, all surrounding one building. Knightmare frames stood tall, guarding the warehouse against any police who tried to infiltrate, all eighth generation frames, way more advanced than the police's standard fifth-generation frames. Some of the officers had already lost their lives while trying to get in.

The demands were simple, yet unrealistic: the hostage for the protection of the Black King. Which wasn't going to be done considering the record the 'King' had. And when Batman took him down, he gave away all the nobles who the Black King had in his pocket. So none of his 'friends' were gonna bail him out of this one.

And Batman's head on a pike. That one was gonna be harder to deliver.

* * *

While this was going on, the _Guren S.T.E.I.N. _was standing motionless in the background, not entering the scene, nor even seen by anyone in the area, even though the pilot desperately wanted to go in there and rescue the hostage.

Kallen was here for personal reasons. Ever since the Black Knights evolved from their knights of justice for the streets, to any actual army, they didn't do this kind of thing much anymore. But Kallen still enjoyed it nevertheless, but not now, not when she knew the hostage.

Ohgi had given permission to go, once they learned who the hostage was, but gave her explicit orders to not engage anyone, unless absolutely necessary, so they wouldn't endanger the hostage. So here she stood, helpless, a feeling she always hated.

_'If Lelouch were here, what would he do?'_ She asked herself. She did this much during the past 3 months, asked herself what Lelouch would do in situations. What glorious, brilliant strategy would he come up with to lead the Knights to victory now? Would he have her play decoy, while he and the rest of the Black Knights would sneak in and rescue the hostage? Would he offer an exchange and walk away with all the rewards, leaving nothing for the enemy? What would Lelouch do?

She was interrupted from her thoughts when one of the police's Knightmare frames exploded when it got too close to the warehouse. She zoomed into the room where the hostage was, to see the so-called Black King strike viciously across their face. Kallen's emotions turned to white-hot rage and prepared to go charging in recklessly when a message scrolled across her message board that stopped her.

It wasn't from Ohgi or any of the Black Knights, it was unknown, which was strange. How did this person get their hands on the Black Knights frequency? And the message it said was even stranger.

'Sit back and enjoy the show.'-B.

She was puzzled by the message and its meaning. Someone, someone she cared greatly about, was in danger, and some stranger by the name of 'B' was telling her to sit back and enjoy the show'? That did nothing to quell her rage. Perhaps it only fueled more it.

But as Kallen read the message over again, she felt a sense of nostalgia at the words. Who was sending the message? What did they have in mind? And why did the way the message was typed seem so familiar to her?

In the next minute, she got her answer to the first two questions.

* * *

Suzaku was overseeing the hostage situation over a command checkpoint with some unknown Britannian officer. He was sent here to provide support if asked to against the criminals (strangely in possession of) advanced Knightmare frames and as an observer.

All had gone well, up until some idiot policeman tried to be a hero and rushed onto the scene to save the hostage, which resulted in his death, a Knightmare exploding, and higher demands by the hostage-takers. So far, it wasn't going so well, but he didn't voice his thoughts.

"Alright!" Called the commanding officer of the scene. "We've been given the go-ahead to engage these miserable low-lives." These guys really were idiots! A hostage was endangered and they didn't care about her safety.

Although since she was Japanese, they mostly wouldn't care about someone who was a meager eleven. But Suzaku followed orders nonetheless and hopped into the _Lancelot_ cockpit. Hopefully, he could stop the criminals and rescue the hostage without having her die.

He was doing the start-up procedure when a private made a noise of disbelief.

"What's going on here private?" The commanding officer asked. He looked over at the screen the private was watching and gave his own sound of shock. "Who does this 'B' think he is?!"

"What's going on?" Suzaku asked.

"Some creep is telling us to 'sit back and enjoy the show.'" The commanding officer replied. "Whoever this 'B' person is, he's got guts telling a Britannian commander what to do. Nevermind him. Get your butt moving!"

Though the order went out, Suzaku didn't move from his position. Instead, he started to power off the Lancelot's systems. "Sir Kururughi?!" The commander asked, disbelief clear in his voice and features. "What are you doing?! Why aren't you following orders?!"

"Isn't it obvious?" He asked, his tone indicating that it should. When he finished the power off procedure, he kicked his feet up and pulled his hands behind his head for it to rest on them. His face donned a large grin that held excitement. "I'm gonna sit back and enjoy the show."

The jaws of all the Britannians present dropped.

Then, something crashed down into the scene!

* * *

The rash actions of the police put a small wrench in Lelouch's plan, meaning that he had to act faster than he intended, but that wouldn't be much of a problem. Quickly sending a message to both Kallen and the Britannian forces present to hang back and 'enjoy the show'.

"Alright," Lelouch said to himself, pulling the cowl over his head and taking a deep breath. "Here we go!" He deactivated the cloaking device on his new Knightmare and dived down into the middle of the group of the rouge Knightmares, making himself known.

The ninth-generation bat-like Knightmare Frame, or the _Kōmori_, as Lelouch called it, the Japanese word for Bat, matched the pattern of his suit. Black with a red, glowing, bat symbol in the middle of the chest, glowing white eyes, long ears, arm blades sticking out of the forearms. The body was similar in regards to the Lancelot, with the bat features added to it. There were also red outlines that traced up the arms and legs of the body, meeting at the bat symbol which was different from the suit. It even held it's very own Knightmare sized utility belt. The _Kōmori_ was made using the base of the _Shinkoro, _Lelouch's old Knightmare when he was Zero, but with a bunch of added features to it that made it stronger than it ever was before.

The _Kōmori_ itself was armed with Batarangs (exploding, electric, thermal, etc.) that were large enough for a Knightmare to hold in its hands. Other armaments included slash harkens in the shape of bat claws, or claw harkens he called them, freeze grenades, a remote electric charge (REC) gun that could stun Knightmares temporarily. Its fingers could extend and sharpen into claws and its forearm blades could extend further outward as well, both being able to slice into the armor of Knightmares, made from the same material as the Master Vibration Sword, that he acquired courtesy of Suzaku. He called them the Master Vibration Claws (MVC) and the Master Vibration Blades (MVB).

It also included a pair of red bat-like (obviously) energy wings. The Knightmare's systems include an experimental cloaking device, courtesy of Wayne Enterprises thanks to Warren, and a detective vision mode, like in his mask. Also, a hidden secret was that the Knightmare actually responded to the suit's instructions, making it more effective to control when wearing the suit. It also allowed the pilot of the Frame to maneuver it to be much more agile and faster than that of the _Guren_ and _Lancelot_.

And much more!

At least theoretically. He never tested the theory or any other of the Knightmares capabilities or armaments in actual combat before. _'Well, they do say that field testing is the best testing, or something like that.'_ Lelouch thought to himself.

Lelouch smiled proudly at his new Knightmare. He worked long and hard to make everything he used to look like a bat to fit into his new persona. And he felt that the _Kōmori_ was a valuable addition to his growing bat arsenal. And now was the time to see what it was made of.

As soon as it landed, the _Kōmori_ sprang into action. Extending its left MVB, it slashed at the midsection of the Knightmare it was behind, slicing it in two. It then latched onto a nearby Knightmare with one of its claws harkens, pulled, and ripped its metal arm off, then swung the torn off metal limb into the body of another Knightmare.

It then brought its right fist back and slammed into the limbless Knightmare's metallic face before it could even move to counter, knocking off the head in the process. Then, morphing its hands into the MVCs, it began slashing into the metal stomach of another frame. The cuts nicked the power source, causing the whole Knightmare to shut down.

Two more enemy Knightmares opened fire on the bat-like machine. The _Kōmori_ began to do a series of backflips to dodge the oncoming fire. After a few flips, it reached into its belt, drew two objects, and threw the two large Batarangs to the guns, knocking them out of the hands of the frames. Then, firing two of its claw harkens at the frames, the claws digging into the metal hull of the Knightmares before it yanked the two over to it. Then extending both its MVBs, the bat-like machine dashed with it's land spinners in between the two incoming frames and slashed right through the middle of the two, amputating the body from the legs.

Then, kicking its land spinners into overdrive, it charged the remaining frame. The Knightmare fired with its rifle, but the _Kōmori_ was able to weave around the incoming bullets with ease. When it finally closed the distance, the bat-like Knightmare leaped upward, bringing its knee up to knock the head off the enemy frame. The Knightmare fell to the ground, defeated after that.

Lelouch did a quick sweep of the area. No remaining frames on the radar. And all the pilots were alive, in pain, but alive. Lelouch then activated the detective vision in the _Kōmori_, scanning the inside of the building for Kane and the hostage. He found the hostage on the third floor of the warehouse, along with over two dozen hostiles.

"Why don't I get off at the second?" Lelouch said to himself, smirking, as he brought the _Kōmori_ up to said floor. Switching the _Kōmori_ to autopilot, he opened the Knightmare's cockpit. Then, running across the frame, he leaped from the machine, wings extended, and crashed through a window into the second floor of the warehouse.

* * *

The Black Knights on the flagship Ikaruga stared in disbelief at the scene that had just played out before them on the news monitor.

In only two minutes, a bat-like Knightmare came out of nowhere and tore through eight eighth-generation Knightmares. And it left all of the pilots alive. All that, and he did it in two minutes.

That took both a highly advanced Knightmare and an ace pilot to accomplish, in that amount of time, with no casualties. Apparently, this 'Batman' was more than just a fighter in hand-to-hand combat, but an expert Knightmare pilot too and a genius strategist. You needed all that to do what he did in less than a minute.

_'Just who is this mysterious new warrior, and where did he come from?'_ We're the questions of some of the Black Knights present, while some were more… 'vocal' in their thoughts.

"It's official," Tamaki said after moments of awestruck silence. Then he screamed at the top of his lungs,** "THAT BAT GUY IS A TOTAL BADA*!"**

"For once, I agree with you, Tamaki," Tohdoh said, putting everyone into more awestruck silence that he was agreeing with the loud-mouth of the Black Knights. "This Batman is indeed a skilled warrior, expert pilot, and a brilliant tactician. Just who can this man be? One can hardly be a master of all three."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

* * *

**"THIS IS PREPOSTEROUS!"** Llyod shouted at the top of his lungs after viewing the bat-like Knightmare take down the seventh generation types. "I wanted to be the one to apply cloaking abilities to a Knightmare! And one of exemplary status like my _Lancelot_! Not that flying rodent styled trash heap!"

To anyone else that was listening to that rant, and saw the video feed of the engagement, they would disagree. The cloaking device was in the hands of someone who used it extremely well. But they were all wise enough not to voice any of those thoughts in the Earl of Pudding's presence.

"Does Britannia or any other organization have the capabilities to be able to apply a cloaking device to a Knightmare?" A tech officer asked wisely instead.

Cecile looked down at her datapad to do the research. "Well, Wayne Enterprises was rumored to be developing a cloaking system that could be applied to Knightmares, but according to our sources, they haven't made any breakthroughs." She explained.

"That bat guy must've figured it out first." Another tech voiced.

"Or he stole the ideas." Llyod voiced, surprising everyone. "My guess is that Wayne Enterprise did finish a cloaking device but it was stolen by this bat, and they are trying to cover up this mess." Llyod seemed back to normal, but really he was seething with anger. Not only because of missing his chance of being the first to create a Knightmare with cloaking abilities, but also that this Knightmare contains the same material as the Master Vibration Swords, something that was his and his alone.

* * *

"I really have to thank Warren for giving me that cloaking device," Lelouch said to himself as he moved quietly through the warehouse's second floor. "And Suzaku for the Master Vibration material, and the piloting lessons, even though they were a pain."

Activating his detective mode, he found the hostage on the floor above him, along with the disgraced Black King, holding what seemed to be a flamethrower, and a guard pointing his gun at the entrance to the room. The rest of the goons were in a large area, pointing their rifles at the entrance to the third floor.

'_Thankfully_,' Lelouch thought with a smirk. _'Batman knows how to make his own entrances.'_ He reached into his utility belt and pulled out a small metal ball along with several small round objects.

* * *

The Black King had all of his remaining low-lives thugs, minus one, guarding the entrance to the third floor. The Batman was not going to send him back to prison just hours of getting out. This time, he was going to deal with this demon.

The criminals held out their automatic rifles toward the entrance of the room. The atmosphere was tense. Sweat was falling from the faces of most of the criminals. Others had their trigger fingers twitching in anticipation. Some were trying to hold backfilling their pants up with a warm yellow liquid or a hard brown solid.

BOOM!

The floor beneath the center of the group blew open. And from this man-made hole, rose a black creature that threw multiple objects at the armed thugs. Once the objects rested on the rifles, the creature flipped a switch on its belt and the rifles exploded.

A thug, that still held his rifle, was shooting aimlessly down the new hole. Then a claw with a line attached to it shot through the man's leg. The man was then flipped upside down and hanging from the line.

Then, the silhouette of the Batman landed next to another thug armed with the rifle. Taking his arm and dislocating he begun to have the man fire at his own comrades. The others ducked and rolled out of the way of the flying bullets. After the gun ran out, Batman through the thug to the ground.

One thug was able to grab an automatic rifle, preparing to shoot, but never got a chance as Batman fired his grapple gun into the man's shoulder. The man cried out in pain and was pulled over to the dark knight. Then knocked down into the new hole in the floor.

Batman took out a Batarang and threw it to a thug that was starting to stand back up from Batman's entrance, knocking him out. Batman then turned to the sound of a door being kicked down to see a thug standing there with a grenade. He grinned as he pulled the pin.

Batman then kicked the hanging thug and he swung like a Pendulum and crashed onto the other thug, knocking them both down. The grenade fell out of the man's hand and rolled on the floor. Fear in his eyes, he rushed to clasp both the grenade and the pin and placed the pin back in the explosive before it could detonate. He breathed a sigh of relief, only to get knocked out by a roundhouse to the face.

Batman continued to tear through the group of thugs, countering their blows and striking back tenfold. At one point, one thug tried to deliver a stab to his face, only for Batman to tilt his head slightly to the side. Then pick him up by his outstretched arm, he arc'd him over his back and slammed him hard onto the wooden floor.

* * *

The Black King held on his face the same terror as the night he was captured as he stared at the door where chaos ensued outside.

* * *

The thugs now we're firing handguns to the Batman, with no effect, until they ran out of ammunition. Changing tactics, they pulled out their knives and prepared for hand-to-hand combat.

Big mistake.

As Batman charged the remaining thugs, he grabbed one by the face and slammed it onto a crate that he leaped over. He then fired his grapple into the crate and, using the enhanced strength of the suit, flung it over him and has it slam into one of the criminals knocking him out, and causing the others to disperse.

As the remaining thugs tried to get their balance back together, one was able to use their handgun to shoot the grapple out of Batman's hand. However, that did not slow the dark knight down in the least. He rose and charged toward the group of thugs.

It soon entered into a four-on-one fight with the thugs all armed with knives. Yet they weren't able to penetrate his suit's armor as he tore through them. At one point he was able to stab a thug's knee with his own knife, then knock him down. A thug came charging from the side but Batman tripped him and then proceeded to hammer his face into the wooden floor with his fist.

BAM

A loud noise and jolt to the head caused Batman to stop his assault and rise. He was feeling dazed in his head and a ringing in his ears.

BAM

The gunshot fired again. Knowing the source of the shot, Batman spun around and gripped the shooter's hand. Then he slammed the thug on the floor and dislocated his arm. A loud cry of pain coming from him.

He then felt a kick strike his face and knocked him to the floor. He scrambled to get up, but two thugs kept him on the ground by slashing their knives to him. He was about to stand when another kick kept him grounded and a knife was plunged into his left shoulder.

Now enraged Batman kicked the farthest thug out of the way, moving on to the one who stabbed him. He managed to make the thug stumble as he rose and ripped the knife out of his shoulder. Rushing up to the thug, he grabbed him by the neck and jammed the knife into the shoulder of the thug.

The last one tried to go from behind, but Batman was done playing around. He gave a strike to the nose with his fist, then his knee and with the thug bent over, Batman gripped the thug on the back and threw him into the fall, shattering the segment on contact.

He was breathing heavily. That was a lot more work than he'd done in the simulations. But he survived, relatively unscathed, except for the stab on his show, which should be impossible. The suit was made out of one of the strongest armored plating today, we'll, as strong as it could be without limiting too much movement. But a simple knife shouldn't be able to pierce the suit. He needed to look into this later.

A whimper pulled him out of his thoughts. Turning his head, he found the source was the thug who stabbed him and was in turn stabbed. He walked over to him, the thug could only whine louder as Batman's presence loomed over him. Batman gave the thug a look over.

_'Criminal scum.'_ He thought to himself with disgust as he pulled his fist back and struck a very sensitive area.

* * *

**"ARGH!"**

A scream brought the Black King and his fellow occupants in the room back to reality.

He really did it? That freak just took down his best men! In less than 4 minutes?! But what else would you expect from a demon?

Regardless, he still had one more ace up his sleeve. He looked to the Eleven woman in the room with him. It's funny, she used to be one of his biggest Refrain takers, it was only fair that she pay him back by helping him escape custody. That's fair right?

He and his lackey looked toward the door for the entrant the room to burst open. _'When it does,' _The Black King thought to himself as he brought a lighter up to prepare his flamethrower, _'it's gonna be fried bat for dinner tonight.'_ He grinned in excitement.

However, Batman didn't enter through the door just yet. It was a few tense moments that the three occupants waited in anticipation for the bat vigilante to enter.

CRASH!

The Dark Knight emerged from to walk next to the criminal closest to the door. In a split second, he wrestled control of the rifle the thug was carrying and pointed to the Black King, the thug's finger still on the trigger.

No one dared make a move, nor even speak, for the next couple of minutes.

"Drop it." The Black King ordered sternly. But Batman made no move to release the gun or criminal.

"I said drop it!" He repeated.

No movement.

"I'll kill her!" He gestured to the Japanese woman. Her face holding pure terror at the odds of her survival. The 'King' was now shaking. **"BELIEVE ME I'LL DO IT!"**

Batman just stood there gritting his teeth in frustration at the situation. Finally, after a minute of no response he answered in the same voice he gave the Black King when they first met. "I believe you."

Then, he fired the gun.

The bullet hit the gas tank.

Flames were emerging from the pack.

The Black King turned the weapon on the woman.

A dark shadow enveloped her.

The room exploded into flames!

BOOM

* * *

**"MOM!"** Kallen cried as she watched the room that held her mother burst into flames. She stared in disbelief at the event that just took place. Then with tears falling from her face, she bowed her head.

_'How?!'_ She screamed in her mind. _'How could I let this happen to her!?'_ Her mother had always been there for her, even when she didn't want her to. But she stayed and endured great hardship, all for the purpose of staying close to her daughter.

And when she needed Kallen the most she wasn't there to save her. She failed her mother again! Only this time, there wasn't gonna be any chance to make it up anymore!

She spared a glance back up to the building, only to see a sight that changed her emotions in an instant.

* * *

It was warm. Very warm. Boiling hot even. But she didn't feel any burns on her body as she hung limp. When she opened her eyes, she saw that she was hanging three stories up, and burning wood was falling down to the ground below her. When she glanced up, she gasped.

A black figure, dressed like a bat, like the one she heard from stories while she was in prison, was gripping her hand in a death grip, refusing to let go. She saw his other hand was outstretched, clutching an object that had a line extended out of it and gripping the remains of the building. But that wasn't what made her gasp.

The fire was dancing all around his black body! Something like that would cause a person to hysteric and scream in great pain. Yet he remained calm and unharmed, and only grunted because of the effort he put in holding her.

"Just hang on!" He told her, his voice now filled with compassion and reassurance, different from a moment ago. "I'll get us out of this!"

He brought the line down to a shining metallic object around his waist (a belt?) and placed the line into the center of the belt. The line then stayed fastened to the belt allowing him to use his other hand. He then moved his now free hand to another area of his belt and flipped a switch to cause his white eyes to glow blue.

For a moment they just hung there, no movement made by either of them. However, Ms. Kozuki felt the wind picking up behind her and she glanced away from burning room to the view of a Knightmare that looked like her savior flying in front of them. She saw the Knightmare's eyes glowed blue much like the eyes of her rescuer just now. She turned back to the bat figure holding her to confirm her theory. _'Is he controlling it remotely?'_ She thought.

The bat-like Knightmare then extended its right hand out right below her feet. "Go! Now!" Her savior ordered, and she complied as she let go of his hand and landed on the metallic palm of the machine.

* * *

Ms. Kozuki sat in the ambulance with an oxygen mask on her face connected to an oxygen tank as she breathed in clean air, to help filter out any smoke she inhaled. As she did this, her thoughts wandered to her rescuer.

After being dropped off a few blocks away from the fire, she was about to thank him, he asked a strange favor of her. Confused as to why he would ask it of her, she was about to ask him what he meant when sirens of an ambulance distracted her gaze. She then turned back to find that he was gone.

She turned toward the charred, but still alive, form of the Black King. To her surprise, the man survived the explosion, and to her greater surprise, she heard her savior, that Batman, had saved this man. She didn't know why he did it, but it made her feel happy that a man like him existed in the world.

**"MOM!"** A familiar voice shouted. Ms. Kozuki turned, and broke into a wide smile, to see her daughter, with tears in her eyes, run to her.

The mother and daughter embraced holding each other tightly. And through the embrace, she felt her daughter's unmasked fear at losing her mother again.

"I thought I lost you!" Kallen cried, tears falling freely from getting face.

"Not yet my baby girl. Not yet." Ms. Kozuki soothed her daughter's distress by stroking her blazing hair like she used to. Both mother and daughter enjoyed this moment of contact for as long as it lasted.

Sadly they couldn't remain like this. Even though she had been taken hostage, Ms. Kozuki had to return to jail as soon as she had finished with a check-up by the doctors. After all, she was still guilty of using Refrain. But before she did, she had something to tell her daughter.

"Kallen," she began, pulling back from her and looking her in the eye, "I have to tell you something. Listen-"

"You don't have to say it." Kallen cut her mother off. "I know that you stayed in that house to be close to me now. I know what you suffered to be with me. I promise you, I'm gonna change the world and make sure that we can live in it together."

Ms. Kozuki was surprised. "Kallen," she began, "I wasn't going to say anything about that, I don't blame you for any of the pain I suffered."

Feeling embarrassed, Kallen could only give 'oh' when she bowed her head. "So what did you want to talk about?" She asked.

"When that Batman saved me," her mother began, "I was about to thank him when he asked me to tell you something."

Kallen frowned in confusion. What in the world did the Batman have to say to Kallen Kozuki, Ace of the Black Knights, that he couldn't say himself? "What was it?"

"He said to tell you he's sorry." Ms. Kozuki answered. "Before I could ask him any more get was gone. Do you know what he was talking about?"

Kallen shook her head. "No. I've never met Batman at all. So I don't know what he would need to apologize for." She answered. This Batman was becoming an even deeper mystery by the day.

* * *

Sitting in the cockpit of the cloaked _Kōmori_, Lelouch watched the exchange between mother and daughter with a sad expression. It was selfish and improper to ask it of Kallen's mother. But Lelouch was still too afraid to talk to Kallen himself.

Why wouldn't he? Kallen Kozuki was a fierce woman who didn't take kindly to pity or sympathy. She preferred the truth from those she cared about, but Lelouch was always afraid of the truth. How would she even react to seeing him again?

Would she kill him? Would she still admire(love) him like she used to? Would she turn him over to Schneizel to get Japan back? For all the outcomes his brilliant mind could predict, Lelouch was clueless when it came to women and their brains. Was that in just him or all guys?

Regardless, Lelouch sighed as he stroked Kallen's image on the monitor in the _Kōmori_. It didn't matter, no matter how many reactions Lelouch could predict, it didn't matter unless he actually went up to her. And he was not ready to face that yet.

_'Besides,'_ Lelouch thought to himself as he reached into his belt and pulled out a slightly damaged phone that belonged to the dethroned Black King, and the knife that pierced into his suit. He grimaced at the objects in his hands. _'I've got something I need to look into.'_

Activating the energy wings on the _Kōmori_, Lelouch piloted the great machine back to the Bat-bunker to investigate this mystery further.

* * *

**"WHAT IN THE NAME OF KING GEORGE WERE YOU THINKING?!"** The Britannian officer spat at Suzaku back at the viceroy palace head office. **"I GAVE THE ORDER TO GO AND YOU SIT THERE LIKE YOUR ON VACATION?!"**

"I apologize, commander," Suzaku told the man, not really sounding sincere, "But I couldn't let a valuable moment like this be wasted by us moving in."

**"WHAT MOMENT!?"** The commander asked, his fury only increased. **"THERE WAS NO MOMENT?! THAT BLASTED BATMAN CAME ON THE SCENE AND-"**

"Commander." The authoritative voice of the Second prince of Britannia, Schneizel El Britannia cut in. The commander immediately stopped talking and listened to what the second prince had to say. Only a few people could get a hot head cool down, and two of them were princes of Britannia.

Schneizel then turned to Suzaku, holding an impassive look on his face, as always. "Explain Sir Kururughi," He ordered, "Why would a moment like this need to be observed?"

"Thank you, Your Highness," Suzaku said bowing slightly. He rose back to his full height. "I meant to say that this was a good opportunity to see what Batman was capable of. We know little to nothing about this new figure, and I believed that have him show us some of his skills and weapons, including his fighting style, would be beneficial to us in the long run."

Schneizel contemplated the words which the Knight of Seven spoke. After a few tense moments of silence, Schneizel said in a slightly mocking tone, "That is unusually smart of you Sir Kururughi. Are you sure that you have not been replaced, or damaged?"

Suzaku had to suppress a grimace. "Well let's say after fighting Zero for nearly two years, I've learned how to gain more from an enemy's victory." He answered with hidden anger.

"I see," Schneizel responded, seemingly accepting the answer. "What do you suppose we do about this Batman now that he has revealed his weapons?"

For a tense moment, the silence was in the throne room. Waiting to hear the Knight of Seven's answer. Finally, everyone in the room, including Schneizel, blinked when the Japanese turned Honorary Britannia started laughing .

**"YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY BOY?!"** The hot-headed officer asked.

"Why are you asking me?" He said between giggles. "I'm not a genius or a master people reader. I don't know how to solve a problem, I only know how to execute the solution."

"But you made a valuable choice in letting the Batman show his hand first." Kanon, Schneizel's faithful servant, pointed out. "Why can't you simply see if you can analyze his next move?"

Suzaku laughed again, harder and louder this time having to hold his chest. "You're seriously asking me to psychoanalysis a guy who dresses up as a bat?!" Suzaku laughed even harder after he said it out loud. "The guy's even crazier than Zero?!"

At that, a brief look of realization dawned on Schneizel's face. He then simply smiled. "Yes," He said with that same smile, "How foolish of me to presume that. You are dismissed, gentlemen."

The two then bowed and exited the throne room, leaving only prince and servant behind. After a few moments of silence, Kanon turned to his master. "You found something out, Your Highness." It wasn't a question.

"Yes," Schneizel responded with a smile of satisfaction as he rose from his throne and turned to the large window that overlooked the city of the rebuilding Tokyo Settlement.

"What?"

"I believe I know what Batman is trying to accomplish."

"And what is that?"

Silence followed the question before Schneizel responded. "To not only protect innocents and punish criminals, but also become a symbol as great, or even greater than, Zero." He answered.

Kanon had his mouth wide open. This man, this thing, sought to replace a figure that represented the symbol of justice in this broken-down world?!

"Is he crazy?!" Kanon stated in disbelief. "How could he replace a figure such as Zero?!"

"Isn't it quite obvious Kanon," Schneizel responded with a knowing smile, "By becoming better than him."

Kanon only grew more confused.

"While I agree that his methods could use a more violent, fatal approach to be better than Zero effectiveness wise, it's his actions that give away his goal. In all the reports that the Batman was reported a part of, he has never killed, and he defends all people regardless of their nationality. So while he may never be as effective as Zero was, he can certainly be better, in a sense of justice."

"But why? Why does he seek to surpass Zero as a symbol of justice and hope?"

"That I haven't quite found the answer to," Schneizel admitted, "But I have several theories: he seeks to bring hope back to the people after feeling depressed after the death of Zero, that's the most likely. He wants even greater fame than Zero had, that's less likely. And there are others."

Kanon pondered over these reasons. It did make the most sense on why Batman is seeking to be a greater symbol than Zero. But there was something else.

"You only realized this after Sir Kururugi said that Batman is crazier than Zero." Again, not a question.

Schneizel didn't answer.

"You suspect he may know more than he lets on?" This time it was a question.

"I suspected that he knows more, ever since the Emperor disappeared three months ago. Something clearly happened there that changed Kururugi. I can see it in his eyes. But what, it is unknown to me." Schneizel then turned to the door where the said knight left only moments ago. "Regardless, I believe that we must now keep a close eye on Sir Kururugi."

As the two began to walk out of the room Kanon spoke up. "So does that mean that the Batman passed _his_ test?" The advisor asked.

"I would hardly call that a test Kanon," Schneizal laughed slightly, "Mr. Kane was barely a warm-up for one such as him! But _he_ did request the man to be used in the trial, so there was little I could do."

"Do you even trust _him_?" Kanon asked more silently than last time.

Schneizal turned toward his trusted advisor. "No I don't," He answered simply, "but, I am _terrified_ of _him_." He admitted. "And what _he_ is capable of."

* * *

_'It doesn't make any sense.'_ Lelouch thought as the Batcomputer analyzed the knife that pierced his suit and decrypted the phone from the Black King.

'_Common gangsters like him shouldn't have that far advanced Knightmare frames. They aren't available to the public. Or to most military units.' _He then glanced down at the knife that pierced his suit. _'And this knife material, it's too well made and strong enough to be in the hands of them. So someone from high up in the military had to be supplying them with these armaments. But who?_'

Now that he thought about it, something else was bothering him. The guys he fought in the warehouse were good, but even if they weren't good enough to be able to break Kane out of jail. So he had outside help, but from who?

A beeping from the bat computer brought him out of his thoughts. The analysis of the knife was complete, as well as the decryption of the phone he took from Kane.

Taking a look at the phone first, he saw that the number was encrypted, higher than the Batcomputer could hack at the moment, he wasn't a computer genius after all, so he couldn't track the caller. But that wasn't a dead-end, he could use the frequency and radio waves that phones used to specifically communicate with that number to search for where the messages originated.

He flipped a switch on the bat computer and he then rose from his chair and turned around. Then, a few hanging objects moved into position and a holographic map of The entire country of Japan, and a little bit beyond to their islands, appeared in front of Lelouch. The location of the radio waves signals were marked in green.

'_No_.' Lelouch thought to himself in disappointed as he began stroking his chin, frowning. _'The signals are too spread out to get an exact location.' _He then glanced back to the knife. _'Maybe if I…'_

He sat back down in the chair of the bat computer and pulled up the screen that held the knife's materials. As he examined them, he noticed that the knife held the obvious materials in its composition. All except with one addition…

_'Why do gangsters have knives with sadakarite mixed into them?' _Lelouch asked himself.

Sadakarite was the material that is used to power Knightmare frames. And Japan has the world's largest deposit of it. About 70% of the world's sadakarite comes from here. It supposedly was one of the main reasons that Britannia conquered Japan.

Also, the material can be strong when melted and reformed into a metal object. _'That would explain how it was able to cut through my suit.'_ Lelouch thought. '_But how did gangsters get their hands on this? Or even make it?'_

Turning back to the map, Lelouch added the filter to search for sadakarite forging facilities. They appeared in a golden color. And like the radio wave signals, were to spread out to search without additional info. But the radio wave signals and sadakarite facilities together…

Only one location in all of Japan held the specific microwave signal on the phone and a sadakarite facility.

_'Of all the places on the continent_.' Lelouch thought as he moved away from the hologram map to the bat computer to make a call.

It rang four times before it hung up. '_He's isn't alone then.' _Lelouch thought. That was what four rings meant. If he picked up after two then he was good to go.

After waiting for 5 minutes, Lelouch placed another call. And after two rings the phone picked up. And from it came a male voice speaking in polite Japanese.

Lelouch responded with his own Japanese. The two speakers exchanged how their lives were going while Lelouch kept his eyes on a bar sliding closer to the end.

When it finished with a message that said, 'call encrypted', Lelouch switched to English. "Alright, Suzaku we can talk freely now." He told his friend.

"_Good_," the voice of his friend responded, sounding quite relieved_. "Because I did not know how to respond when you said your girlfriend pulled a 180 with a French philanthropist_."

Lelouch groaned. He hated to have these fake conversations. But he needed time for the encryption to come into place, and there couldn't be blank silence. So they talked about fake girlfriends, college classes, and other things.

"_Anyway_," Suzaku said bringing Lelouch out of his recimist, "_What_ _do you need? Because if it's more Knightmare tech, I can't help you, Lloyd's learned that you took his MVS material."_

"No none of that." Lelouch could have sworn he heard Suzaku sigh in relief. "We need to talk. Now!"

"_Why? What's going on Lelouch?"_

Lelouch took a deep breath…

"I think someone in the viceroy palace is giving weapons to criminals."

**A/N: just so all of you know, this will not be a harem story, I usual hate those stories. And the main focus will be on Lelouch, Suzaku, and Kallen's perspectives. **

**Hope the Knightmare action was cool for you, and I hope you all like the _Kōmori._ **

**Also the reason why my updates so far are frequent is because I had already written down a few chapters before posting this story. **

**Also the warehouse scene, Batman v Superman. That's always a bada* scene right? I don't own that movie either.**

**Next chapter, Lelouch and Suzaku compare notes. And two people have an unfortunate encounter that leads to a disaster.**


	4. Unfortunate Reunions

**A/N: I don't own anything Code Geass or Batman Beyond. They are wonderful works that are not my own.**

**Also to make something clear, I already have this story planned out so I won't take any suggestions, unless I can find a way to work it in my story. I may do some of the stuff you guys suggest like Kallen becoming Batgirl or Catwoman in the sequel if you y'all want a sequel. I'm down for doing a sequel but be warned it may be a very long time before I post the first chapter, like a couple of years.**

**Also on account of Batman's usual Rouge Gallery. They will make an appearance, just not in the way you'll be expecting, maybe.**

**And that's all my notes, for now, enjoy.**

The crater made by the FLEIJA warhead was deemed off-limits to the public for the first month after it went off. Then some construction companies came in and began to rebuild the damage caused by the destructive warhead. It was slow, but the work was getting done. Though there were some areas deemed off-limits by high ranking members of the military, no one could get into them or access them.

Which made them the perfect spot for a secret meeting.

Suzaku was able to get into the initial zone of the crater with his status as a Knight of the Round. The rest of the way, he relied on his training for sneaking around the security teams.

After evading multiple patrols, he arrived at the designated meeting spot. And it unnerved him to no end. Because this was the site of the former Viceroy Palace, where Nunnally was killed. By his hands.

Suzaku clenched his hands in frustration and regret as the memories of his time as the Knight of Seven. He was so consumed with hatred and rage that he crossed lines that he should never have crossed. But he still held on to that naive philosophy.

The FLEIJA explosion and Nunnally's death was what finally broke that philosophy. He saw the world did what it was and believed that it wasn't worth saving anymore.

That is until he finally realized what Lelouch was really fighting for with all his choices. A brighter tomorrow. That had restored both his faith in the world and in Lelouch. So he vowed to help Lelouch anyway he could.

Speaking of Lelouch…

Where is he? He usually was never late for these kinds of meetings. He was the one who called it anyway. So where was he now?

"You know,"

Suzaku spun around with one of his flying kicks to the source of the voice. Only to have a black claw grab his leg and an elbow in his chest to knock him to the ground, on his feet.

Lelouch stood there, bat-suit fully on, with a small smirk on his face. Suzaku seemed slightly stunned at the former prince. He never remembered Lelouch being that fast, even when he was training him.

"As I was saying before you tried to kick my head off," Lelouch continued, the smirk never leaving his face, "You really shouldn't drop your guard like that. You never know who will be sneaking up behind you."

"Well," Suzaku began, standing straight up, "Usually when they do, I knock their head off with a kick. I'm actually very surprised that you were able to catch that kick. You have changed? I remember when you ran after C.C. who was in a large tomato container and got passed by everyone, especially Milly in a dress." He chuckled at that last part.

Under his mask, Lelouch flushed red with embarrassment at the memory. That was not one of his finest moments. "Quit talking ancient history!" Lelouch yelled defensively. He still could get teased easily when reminded of how weak he used to be.

After a moment of silence between the two, Lelouch took off his mask, and the two embraced one another in an honest hug. After a minute of the embrace, the two let go and smiled at each other.

"It's good to see you Suzaku," Lelouch told his friend.

"You too Lelouch," Suzaku responded. "How are things going for you?"

"Oh you know," Lelouch began with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, "Just dandy. Going out at night, having bullets fly at me, punching teeth out of criminals. Just dandy. You?"

"Same old, same old. A boss without a care in the world, a sociopathic prince ordering me around, and a best friend who goes out at night dressed in a Dracula costume punching clowns."

Lelouch frowned at that last comment and took a self-conscious look down to his suit. "'Dracula costume'? What kind of Dracula movies are you watching?" Lelouch muttered with a raised eyebrow in confusion.

Suzaku chuckled slightly for a few moments more before becoming serious. "Okay," he began, crossing his arms across his chest. "so why did you call me here? What did you mean when you said that someone in the Viceroy Palace was supplying criminals?"

Lelouch reached down into his utility belt and pulled out two items: a knife and a damaged smartphone. "This phone belonged to the Black King," Lelouch began explaining, "I managed to snag it off of him before I handed him over to the police, or what was left of him that is. The knife was used by one of the thugs in the warehouse, the blade was actually able to pierce a section of my suit."

"But what does that have to do with someone in the Viceroy Palace?" Suzaku asked, still not seeing the full picture.

"When I went through the phone, I discovered messages delivered from someone. I wasn't able to find out a name, but I did manage to narrow down where the specific radio waves used to communicate with the phone. Now that didn't help so much at first. But after cross-referencing the location of the radio waves with that of major sadakarite mining facilities, which was the material the knife was made of, I came up with only one location: the new Viceroy Palace."

"Also," Lelouch continued, "don't you think it's strange? That common gangsters like them had access to top of the line eighth-generation frames. They weren't even on the market, nor do any known nobles have them. So how did they get access to some of the most advanced version of Knightmares?"

Suzaku frowned understanding at Lelouch's point. It would make sense that someone in the military was able to have gotten these criminals some advanced weaponry and Knightmare frames. The two questions were who and why?

A thought then occurred to Suzaku as he looked back up to Lelouch. "Lelouch," he began, "While it may take a high enough official to deliver those weapons, what makes you think that it's Schneizel?" Lelouch tensed. It seems Suzaku was following his pattern of thought. "Are you sure that your not just accusing him because of what he made the Black Knights do to you?"

If looks could kill, the glare Lelouch gave Suzaku, while they were still friends, would kill the Japanese boy a million times over. "Let me make something really clear right here and now Suzaku." His voice held venom as he walked over to the Japanese boy, who took a step back in fear.

"Am I still angry that Schneizal was able to convince the Black Knights to betray me?" He asked rhetorically. "Of course I am!" He answered in anger before Suzaku could open his mouth. "He turned the army I had built up from a single terrorist cell against me, and forced me to lie to everyone there to make sure Kallen wasn't harmed! And that action caused Rolo, a boy who saw me as a brother, to die to save my life, after what I said to him!"

After a moment of tense silence, Lelouch took a deep breath to calm himself down. "But I won't resort to throwing random accusations without concrete evidence to back it up. Plus there's more. The night when I first took down the Black King, I noticed a car that bore the symbol of the El Britannia royal family Crest on the car, Schneizel's royal family Crest. So it had to be him or one of his aids."

Lelouch then sighed. "I don't understand why he would be associating with criminals," Lelouch admitted, "but I can't ignore the evidence." He then sighed again.

"Okay," Suzaku said after a moment of silence, "I'm sorry for doubting your reasons Lelouch. I just don't want you to act on revenge as you did as Zero."

Lelouch smiled. "I'm grateful for you looking out for me Suzaku," He told him smiling as he placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm lucky to have a friend like you."

"Even though I tried to kill you multiple times?" Suzaku asked with a raised eyebrow.

Lelouch just shrugged as he smiled sheepishly. "Ah! We're always gonna be at each other's throats. That's never gonna change."

They both laughed at the comment.

After the laughter died down Suzaku spoke. "Okay, so now we got the who, or close enough, the only question now is why?"

Lelouch frowned in concentration as his mind went through various reasons for his brother's actions. "I don't know." He finally admitted after a moment of thinking. "He could be using weapons and tech to buy the underworlds loyalty for more pawns to use? Or something else?"

After a moment of silence, Suzaku then asked. "Well regardless of his reasoning, what are we gonna do about it?"

"Well 'I' am gonna keep busting up underworld operations, and try to find some link to Schneizel and them." He then turned to Suzaku. "You are going to do little to nothing. If Lloyd tells Schneizel that some stole the MVS material, if he hasn't already, then he'll know that there's a spy. You need to keep a low profile. If you do find anything, let me know."

Suzaku nodded in agreement. But internally, he felt slightly useless, he wanted to do more to help Lelouch. But he knew that deep down Lelouch was trying to protect Suzaku. Lelouch really had changed to wanting to only risk his life. '_Much like how I was.'_ Suzaku thought.

So they clasped each other's hands in agreement with the plan. When they let go, Suzaku felt an object now in his hands. He looked down to see the strange device.

"That's how well be communicating from now on," Lelouch explained. "These old flip phones use a signal that not many people use any more. Meaning we should be more secure on these devices than the current smartphones."

Suzaku looked down at the old device in his hands. It did make sense of how this was supposed to help secure their communication now. However there was one problem. "Lelouch," He began looking back up to where his friend was, "how am I supposed to work this… phone?"

When he looked up, the boy in question was now gone. Suzaku took a look all around him to try and find a trace of Lelouch. But there was none, Lelouch had simply vanished. Again, Suzaku sighed in annoyance

'_Man I hate it when he does that!' _

* * *

_3 weeks later_

Kallen was eating a hotdog for lunch by herself on a bench, much like the one she and Lelouch ate that one time after they saved the Japanese hotdog vendor, and where she subsequently slapped him, in the rebuilt sections of the Tokyo Settlement.

After the betrayal of Zero, she decided to spend as little time with them as she possibly could. It didn't feel right to interact with them again. Plus, she needed a private place to think, and no one knew about this spot. Well, no one except the two of them.

She then thought back on that event fondly now. She slapped him because he said he could do nothing against the Britannia because it was too much of a problem for him.

Boy, could he tell a good lie!

Lelouch really was an expert liar. So good that everyone in the world believed in his cause for a better world. And so good that all the Black Knights betrayed him for such, that's what they believed. Kallen, on the other hand, didn't know what to believe.

Still, after all these months, she was haunted by his final words to her. That one sentence: _"Kallen, you have to live."_ The words repeated in her mind with his voice behind them.

Why did he do it? Was it for his own amusement to have her sit here and contemplate his words? Or did he truly care for her and wanted her to live while he died? What was the reason? It was all driving her insane.

But Lelouch wasn't the only thing on her mind. Recently so was the Batman. Which shouldn't be confusing why, considering the masked man did save her mother from criminals. So she was obviously grateful for the man.

But she was mostly thinking about what he said to her mother. "_Tell Kallen that I'm sorry."_ She remembered the words her mother said before she was pulled back to prison.

Sorry for what? Did the Batman wrong her in some way beforehand and is seeking to make amends? Or is he apologizing for something he's about to do? Or is it something else? And how did he know her name, and why would it be specifically for her?

This was all too confusing!

She wished things could be simpler back like they used to be. She sighed as she continued to eat her food. After finishing her hot dog, she rose from her secret spot and walked back to where she parked the _Guren_.

While walking through a square, she noticed a familiar scene taking place: Five grunts were ganging up on one person of a different race. Only this time, the one being abused wasn't Japanese, they were Britannian, and the abusers were Japanese.

'_Things have changed a lot, haven't they?_' She told herself as she watched the five Japanese gang up on the elderly Britannian woman. '_And not for the better.'_ This causes Kallen to grit her teeth. While she preferred her Japanese heritage over her Britannian any day, it still made her blood boil to see such abusive behavior.

She glanced around to see that no one was helping the lady, either because she was Britannian, or they were too afraid to help. '_Stinkin cowards!'_ She yelled in her mind as she began to walk forward to interfere-

"Hey!" A male voice called out. Not to her, but to the Japanese abusers.

The men ceased their assault on the woman and turned to the source of the voice. The owner was Britannian, that much Kallen was able to tell from his voice. He was tall, had a thin build, but she could definitely see some underlying muscles in his clothes. His face was covered by the hood of his gray jacket.

He called out to the group again, "What do you think you're doing to this woman?" His tone held anger in it, and it was as if he was judging them for their actions.

"What does it look like?" The apparent leader of the group asked rhetorically, not caring. He then struck the woman again. "We're getting payback for what these Britannian pigs did to Zero! They killed him, and he needs to be avenged."

"Oh!" The man began, sarcasm entering his voice. "And you believe it is an old woman that killed Zero? If so, are you sure she is the right one?" He began walking forward, picking apart their reason for assaulting the woman. "Or that it is an old woman? Or that it even was Britannia who killed Zero?"

The group of men just sneered and glared at the man in front of them. Who does he think he is? "Furthermore," He continued, despite the glares he was receiving, "I know that Zero wouldn't tolerate this kind of act. This is vengeance, not justice!"

Kallen looked at amazement at the man's words. He apparently was one of the few people who understood that Zero was out to punish all those who commit injustice, not just Britannians. But was also captivated her was his voice. He was trying to mask it, but Kallen could tell that the voice had a side to it that she unmistakably knew. It was nostalgic.

"And besides," the man's voice brought Kallen out her thoughts and back into the scene, "Picking on the elderly, especially when it's five on one, is the act of cowards." She could feel his smirk at that statement.

That last comment sent the group ablaze with anger. "**WHY YOU LITTLE-**" One began as he charged the hooded man. But before a hit could land, the figure moved his feet…

And the punch went flying past his head. Using the momentum, he grabbed the Japanese man's outstretched arm and threw him over his body and slammed him on the concrete ground.

The group of men's jaws was now hanging open, to see that a man that seemed so skinny was able to pull off a move like that with little to no effort. The onlookers had similar reactions. Kallen looked amazed.

"I'll let this slide for once." the figure said, he stood straight up, looking at the group of men through his hood. "This is your one chance, walk away. And don't bother any Britannians, or anyone else for that matter, again."

The group still wasn't fazed. It was five large men against one little man. They could take him! They all charged him.

They didn't even stand a chance.

The man ducked below a thrown punch, delivering his own to the brutes gut, he bellowed forward, the man then kneed him in the face, knocking him back. One tried to strike his face, only for their fist to be caught in his palm, he then used the momentum to throw him over his shoulder to another one, knocking them both down. Two tried to strike him at once, but he simply stepped into the punch, ducking, spinning around, rose up, and strike both their noses with the back of his fists. The last one standing tried to deliver a high kick, but the man dropped to the ground and swept his own leg at the man's only grounded foot, knocking him down to the ground.

He rose, looked around to notice that all of them were on the ground in pain. He then walked over to the elderly woman. "Are you okay?" The threatening tone in his voice easily replaced with sympathy. Kallen's eyes went wide at the tone, she knew she'd heard that voice before.

As the hooded man looked over the woman for any signs of visible injuries, one of the grunts, the leader it seemed, started to stand up. He glared at the hooded man, with eyes that could obliterate someone. He reached into his pants and gripped a metallic object.

A gasp erupted from the onlookers as the leader placed a gun to the figures now revealed the head of the figure as the leader pulled the hood back, tired of the mystery. The gun nestled into the man's raven black hair. "I'm gonna blow your brains out you piece of-"

He didn't even finish as the man moved at lightning speed. Grabbing the gun, spinning around, and knocking the brute to the floor in less than two seconds. His arm was held in a position that was excruciatingly painful by the man's left hand, while the gun was held in his right.

"I gave you a chance," The threatening returned instantly as it had disappeared in the man's voice, "You chose not to take it, and you got this. That's your own fault. Now make me a promise that you, and your friends will never hurt another Britannian or another person in general again! Promise me!"

The Japanese wanted to say no to hold on to some of his ridiculously stupid pride, but the pressure that the man applied to his arm was getting too great. Finally, he gave in, "Okay! Okay! You win! I promise!" He begged.

The man satisfied, eased a bit on the pressure. "Good." He said satisfied with himself. His face then morphed to be threatening again. "But if you, or your friends, break your promise, I'll break the other one."

"Break the other-!"

SNAP!

"**ARGH**!" He screamed at the top of his lungs as he felt his right arm was twisted out of place. The figure looked to the gun in his hands and frowned with disgust. He then pressed the magazine release and the clip fell to the ground as he pulled the switch off the gun, disarming it completely. He then threw the remaining pieces to the ground and crushed them with his boot.

Kallen just stared at him, eyes widened in shock. Not to what the hooded figure did to all these large men, but at the face that was under the hood.

His smooth white skin. His raven black hair. His beautiful purple eyes that usually held so much pain and hatred in them. And the thing that surprised her the most was the smile he held when talking to the old woman.

She couldn't stop herself before she muttered his name.

* * *

"Lelouch…?"

Hearing his name be called he turned to the source of the female voice. _'__Probably one of those obsessive fangirls from Ashford.' _He thought as he saw the source of the voice and his eyes went wide in shock and fear.

It was a girl from Ashford, but one of the rare non-obsessive kind. His mind went totally blank when he saw her crimson hair, her beautiful ocean colored eyes, her striking face.

'_What in the world is Kallen doing here?'_ Lelouch screamed in his mind. He began to back away slowly when she spoke again.

"Lelouch… is that you?" Kallen asked, a certain hopefulness in her voice.

That tone was the last straw. The next thing anyone there knew, he sprinted as his life depended on it out of the center square far away from Kallen.

"Lelouch! Wait!" Kallen called as Lelouch turned and ran in the direction away from her, with Kallen then taking off after him. A million questions began firing off in her head as she chased after him.

'_Where have you been? What have you been doing? How did you do all that to those guys?! Why are you running?! **HOW**__ are you running without **DYING**?! What happened to you?! But most importantly: **WHAT DO I MEAN TO YOU LELOUCH?!**__**'**_ And so on.

They were running through the market that was crowded with people. Both maneuvered through the maze and sea of human beings. Lelouch was able to emerge first and turned down an alley. Kallen followed him down the same alley, only when she entered, he vanished.

She looked around the whole alley, finding no trace of the raven-haired boy. How did he get away from her? There was a brick wall so he came to a dead-end, so how did he vanish. The only way to escape was up a fire escape that was at least eight feet above the ground. And Lelouch was never that, or at all, athletic.

But… how did he manage to take down all those men without getting hit once? What the heck happened to him?! He disappears for four months now and suddenly he comes back knowing advanced hand-to-hand combat, as well as having greatly improved stamina!? Was this even the real Lelouch?!

Kallen shook her head. Of course, it was. Only Lelouch vi Britannia could have purple eyes that beautiful, a voice so captivating you could just listen to it hours on end, and a rare smile that could melt away all the unease in your body and make you feel like the luckiest girl in the world! Kallen shook her head at these thoughts out of her mind. '_Stop thinking like a pervert! Jeez! Your better than this Kallen!'_ Kallen tried to remind herself.

Now that she thought back to the event, she noticed that he never used his Geass to make them disperse like he did that one time with the hot dog vendor. Why? That would be the easiest option. So why didn't he? Why did he choose to fight them instead?

Speaking of fighting them, Kallen also noticed that Lelouch hadn't killed them. Well, obviously that would be very wrong to do in such a public setting with all those people watching. Yet she could tell in his stance that he held back in some way.

Also… the way he looked at the gun when he held it. The look on his face showed absolute disgust at such a weapon. Which was strange since Lelouch used a gun many times before, never being afraid or disgusted to pull a trigger. So why was he now disgusted with them now?

And he was helping out a Britannian. He always held disgust and hatred to Britannians, unless they happened to be his friends. So why did he help out a stranger?

There were so many questions that Kallen needed answers to. And she knew she wouldn't find any answers to those questions in a dark alley. She needed to find Lelouch.

She began to walk towards the exit of the alley, hoping to find some trace as to where he was when suddenly she felt a presence approach her. Thinking it might be Lelouch, she turned with joy, about to shout his name. She then felt a cloth cover her nose and mouth, and strong arms held her in place and kept her from moving. She struggled in vain as she gave herself to the darkness.

* * *

Lelouch was breathing heavily. His heart was racing in its chest. He felt as if it and his mind were gonna explode. He definitely didn't expect this to happen.

He came to the market to get some lunch and by some groceries to stock up on when he came upon a group of Japanese harassing an elderly woman. He took care of them quickly and without a sweat.

What did make his heart race and his mind go blank was seeing Kallen's face in the crowd. He hadn't been ready to see her, much less talk to her, if he ever saw her again. He knew he could have handled it all better. He could have led her to a quiet place to speak.

But what did he do? He turned tail and ran away like a coward. And here he was now, hiding on the roof of a building, hoping Kallen would go away. He didn't dare look over the roof to see if Kallen was gone, for fear of being discovered. He stayed still, silent, waiting a few minutes for her to leave.

_'WhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhadoIdo?!' _Lelouch frantically thought as he tried his hardest ever to quiet his panic breathing.

_'Should I go talk to her?' _Lelouch asked himself in his mind. He then thought of possible scenarios involving that option.

He could just come out and say hi to her… but, then she'd probably shoot him. He could tell her that he was Batman, which would give him most likely 30 seconds to explain… then she'd shoot him. He could declare his love for her, which she would laugh her heart out, or admit her love for him too…

...then shoot him.

Lelouch then declared that all those scenarios were very unlikely to happen, except the last one.

After a few moments of breathing heavily, he then decided that the best he could do was to have a normal conversation with her, whatever normal was for them anyway. And if she tried to shoot him, he could always gently, _gently_, disarm her.

Once the action was decided, he lept down the fire escape into the alley to greet Kallen… only to find she wasn't there. He frowned, did she really leave like he hoped she would.

Lelouch gave a sigh of relief. He was disappointed that his chance was gone, but so, so relieved that he would have more time to come up with a more appropriate response to her next time.

He began to walk out of the alley when his eyes caught a strange object. He walked over and gasped.

If Kallen had left, then why was here purse here on the ground?

He glanced around the alley. Now that he saw it, there were signs of a struggle, but who won that struggle was the question? He activated the special contact lenses in his eyes that could operate similar to the detective vision in his mask and looked around the alley for clues.

After searching, he found cloth on the ground. He knelt down and examined the piece of fabric. He brought it to his nose and took a sniff of the fabric. He backed away when the odor reached his nose. Chloroform! Lelouch growled. Whoever took Kallen had the guts to do so when he was around!

Lelouch searched around for more clues when he saw something shining on the ground next to the fabric. He picked up the object and examined it. It was a silver pin, one that people of groups would wear to signify one as a member, must have fallen off when Kallen was struggling. He took a closer examination…

His eyes went wide!

'_Oh no!' _Lelouch thought to himself, worry filling his being!

He had to find Kallen! Now!

**A/N: So here is chapter 4! Like I said before, I have this whole story planned out, so updates will probably be fast, I hope. **

**Sorry if this seems poorly written, again my first story and English writing was never my strong suit. Hope y'all like the humor I'm throwing in there though.**

**Also in regards to how I did the characters. I'm sorry if done of them don't seem to be like they are in the series, like with all the forgiveness between Lelouch and Suzaku, but I like it, and it's my story, so yay friendship!**

**Next chapter, Lelouch must confront a dark aspect that came to birth from the influence due to his action in his old persona in order to save Kallen.**


	5. The Children of Zero

**A/N: again I do not own Code Geass or Batman Beyond. Great works that are not my own. Here we will now see a negative effect that Zero had on the world.**

The sewer water rippled with every step Batman took as he navigated through the sewage system of the Tokyo Settlement. Batman sighed in disgust, he knew he would spend the next couple of hours when this was over cleaning out his suit. But it would all be worth it if he could find Kallen and save her.

He was following the signal he was able to get off Kallen's phone. It wasn't as accurate as Lelouch would want it to be, but it at least gave Lelouch a clue about where her general location was. It indicated that she was a few hundred meters in front of him, not moving hopefully her phone didn't fall from where she had it.

Batman continued to follow until he met a dead-end in the form of a brick wall. He frowned as he looked back to the signal he was following, she should be a few more meters behind this wall. She wasn't below or above him, the tracker of her phone told him they were on the same leveled plane.

Pulling up a holographic map of the city sewage system, it confirmed that the path did indeed end here. Batman was confused at this until an idea popped into his mind.

He pulled up the sewage map again, but not a map of the current Tokyo Settlement sewage system, but of the old Tokyo city. And sure enough, he found that the path continued beyond this wall. He activated his detective vision and found that the path beyond the wall was indeed continuing on.

Which means that Kallen was definitely down here somewhere!

_'How am I gonna get through?'_ Lelouch thought as he contemplated his actions. He could use an explosive Batarang and blow open the wall, but the walls would carry the sound waves far enough to alert Kallen's kidnappers. And he wasn't willing to put Kallen in danger anymore. So he needed another way in.

Another idea came to his mind again. He activated the heat sensor settings in his mask and looked for any recent signs of heat presence. Sure enough, he found multiple handprints on certain bricks on the wall. He placed his hand on one and it moved slightly. Lelouch frowned in thought. _'Must be in a certain order that I have to press these bricks.' _Lelouch thought to himself.

He began pressing numerous bricks to see if ant would work. After several tries, he was able to figure out the combination, and the brick wall slide opened, revealing the path to the hidden network.

_'So that's how they've stayed hidden all this time.' _Lelouch thought as he moved quickly down the tunnel.

* * *

After walking through the contaminated water for a while, he noticed that he was in the general vicinity of the signal from her phone. Then he heard the faint murmur of cheering, or chanting, in the distance. Walking forward, he came to the end of the pipe he was currently in. And gasped.

In front of him was a large colosseum-like area in the sewer system. It must have been the central sewage hub of the entire city when the country was still Japan. It was run down, with rust over most of the pipes, no water was flowing through it. But it wasn't the room itself that made Batman gasp, more what was added.

Posters hung on the wall, Zero was plastered on all of them. Underneath some of the larger ones, it wrote, 'Our Creator'. On the ground floor were crowds of people wearing attire that was similar to Zero. The people looked both excited and yet furious.

Batman fired his grapple hook up to a higher vantage point to get a better view of the room while activating his cloaking device to hide him from anyone who might be looking up.

Looking over to where people's attention was focused on, it was a large platform near one of the walls of the circular room. On the platform were several straight standing wooden polls. And fastened to everyone were people. Britannian officers, members of the Black Knights, and… Kallen!

He had to move fast before-

Suddenly a voice called to the congregation.

* * *

**"SILENCE!"** A voice shouted, waking Kallen up from her daze. When she came to, her eyes were a bit foggy but her sense of smell could pick up something nasty, so she was either in a sewer or a garbage yard.

When her eyes cleared up, she found that she was in the former, and also tied to a wooden post.

She looked around and gasped when she saw Zero! Or Zeros? Was she still dizzy?

She then found out that she wasn't as her vision cleared up more, and she saw a large crowd of figures dressed in the garb of Zero, wearing a mask as well.

She then turned her head and gasped when she saw that members of the Black Knights were in a similar state, as well as a few Britannian officers. All of them held looks of terror on their faces.

She then took a glance at the one whose voice she heard but moments ago that woke her up. He was dressed the most similar to Zero out of everyone in the room. Which most likely meant that he was in charge of this group.

"My brothers, my sisters," The man spoke in a modulated voice similar to the original Zero, "I welcome you all here! I appreciate your praise, but it is not for me you cheer for. No, you cheer for the man who created us, the man who shaped this world, the one who brought all to his knees! For our father! **ZERO!"** He raised his fist in the air to make a dramatic point.

The congregation then began to cheer the name Zero to the top of their lungs. Some of the ones tied to the podium winced at the loud noise of the people, Kallen wasn't one of them.

"Wh… Who are you, people?!" A Britannian officer shouted.

The 'faux' Zero turned to the man. "We," he gestured around to the crowd of Zeros with him, **"WE,** are the _Children of Zero_!"

* * *

Batman frowned as he heard the name of the sick cult that sought to keep Zero alive.

The Children of Zero.

Ironic name for a cult whose goal is to kill anyone they see fit.

He had run into a few of their members from time to time since he started his career as Batman. From what he was able to gather so far, this cult sought vengeance for what happened to their 'father' after his 'death'. Also whenever he encountered them, they would refer to him as the 'pretender'. Believing that he was trying to replace Zero, which to be honest he was. But for different reasons what they thought.

Since then, they have been grabbing both Britannian military personnel and Black Knights off of the streets and then executing them for killing their 'father'. While they executed the Britannians for being part of the force that killed Zero, the Black Knights were killed for failing to protect him in the first place.

Lelouch growled. Is this what Zero's legacy was going to be? A cult of extremists who sought to eliminate those responsible for the death of someone they saw as a deity? '_This is what happens when a man tries to play god.' _Lelouch thought to himself with shame. '_All they do is create an insane band of followers that will do anything that will please their god.'_

Lelouch shook his head, sending the thought out of his mind. It didn't matter right now. What mattered was getting Kallen out of here, quickly. But he couldn't just rush in there without a plan. That would only get her, and the other hostages killed. He had to think this through.

* * *

"What do you want with all of us?!" One Black Knight questioned.

The faux Zero stared at the man, with a gaze that sent shivers down Kallen's spine. "What do we want?" He repeated the question mockingly. He then turned to his audience. "You heard the man. **TELL HIM WHAT WE WANT?!"** He shouted to the crowd.

**"VENGEANCE FOR OUR GLORIOUS FATHER! VENGEANCE FOR ZERO!" **They answered, raising their fists high in the air.

"But why kill us?!" Another Black Knight shouted hysterically. "Britannia was the one who killed Zero! Not us!" He glanced at the Britannians tied up with them.

"Britannia may be responsible for ending Zero," the false Zero agreed with his statement, "But you all failed to protect him from such dangers! Therefore, his death was as much as your fault as it was Britannia's!"

Kallen felt a pang of guilt at those words. The false Zero had no idea how much his words had struck true. After all, she was there, she was there when the high command of the Black Knights betrayed Zero. And when they decided that Zero should 'die'.

"But through us," the false Zero's voice took her out of her mind, "The Children of Zero, his legacy will carry on! We will continue to bring down the hammer of justice on all those who have wronged our father!" The crowd cheered at the man's words.

**"YOU PEOPLE ARE CRAZY!" **A Britannian officer shouted, silencing the crowd.

The false Zero turned at that, and it caused the man to freeze in fear as a wet liquid had started flowing down his pants. He started to walk slowly to the man while speaking, "How should we punish one such as you? Death is too merciful for the crimes you have committed." Slowly, he reached into his coat to pull something out. It was an injector of some sort holding a vile of light brown liquid.

"This is your punishment," The false Zero began to explain, "Like Refrain, it makes the subject experience realistic hallucinations. But with a very '_lovely_' twist. Instead of their fondest memories, they experience their greatest fears, until it drives them mad." The crowd cheered in approval in this form of punishment.

He walked to the Britannian who shouted, who began thrashing around in his restraints in an attempt to get free. "No! Please don't! Please! Mercy! No! **NOOOO!"** He protested to no avail as the needed pierced his neck and the liquid entered into his bloodstream

He stopped struggling after that. Then a few quick moments later, he had a look of absolute terror in his eyes. "No! Please! Getaway! **GET THEM AWAY FROM ME!"** He shouted in fear as the drug took effect and the hallucinations started.

The false Zero continued this process on the other occupants tied to the wooden poles. All had the same reaction, a hallucination of their worst fears. Until finally it was Kallen.

She glared up at the man who dared wear his suit.

"Kallen Kozuki," The man began, and then the crowd erupted in a fit of anger at the mention of her name, "The ace of the Black Knights, the captain of the Zero squad, the one trusted to protect our father. And an absolute failure!" The crowd repeated the word 'failure' after it was spoken.

"You were given the task to protect Zero no matter what the price you were supposed to pay." He continued with his judgment of her. "Yet when he needed you the most, you left him for dead and ran away like a coward!" That sent a knife through Kallen's heart.

She had done just that during the end of the Black Rebellion over a year ago. And again on the Ikaruga when the Black Knights betray Zero, she left him to die. Maybe she deserved this, maybe it was her just punishment for leaving Lelouch behind. For not believing in him when he needed her the most.

She looked to see that the vile that the false Zero was holding held more liquid than the last few viles. "If too much of a dose of this 'fear toxin' is injected into a victim's body, the physiological shock of the drug proves too much to the nervous system and it shuts down. Or in other words, they die." Kallen wasn't frightened, she was fine with this fate she was now facing. It was her punishment for leaving him.

The false Zero turned one last time to the crowd. "Can anyone here speak in defense of this failure!?" He rhetorically asked the assembly. No one spoke up. With that, the false Zero moved over to her, the needle inching closer to her neck. Kallen closed her eyes, accepting her fate

Suddenly, an object flew through the air, knocking the injector out of the false Zero's hand onto the ground with a clank! Kallen's eyes shot open and gazed at the object that saved her. Her eyes widened as she recognized the object, and knew who its owner was.

**"I CAN!"** A voice boomed like thunder above the assembly.

Kallen glanced up to see the Batman descending down upon the crowd of false Zeros, black and red wings extended. When he landed he knocked a few backs and some fell on their rear. He gazed up at the faux Zero with a white-hot rage in his soulless eyes.

"The pretender!" The faux Zero gasped at his sudden appearance. "Destroy him! He is guilty of impersonating our father!" The crowd obeyed as they began to charge the masked vigilante.

Which was a big mistake.

Batman tore through the whole group. No matter what they threw at him, he countered, blocked, parried, dodged, then struck back ten times greater. Fear was beginning to grip the group of false Zeros. At one point, Batman lifted a Zero off his feet and threw him into a line of others, all of them falling like dominos. Every now and then he pulled out one of his gadgets; a Batarang that hit a fire extinguisher or a propane tank about to be thrown by an enemy, the bat-claw which pulled an enemy to him that he slammed to the ground, an ice grenade that froze enemies in their tracks, and many more gadgets.

While this was going on, the false Zero on the platform was shaking in fear at Batman's inhuman strength and speed. While Kallen, on the other hand, was amazed by those factors. Never had she seen someone move, let alone fight, with this grace and eloquence. He wasn't just strong, he was a genius, and she could tell by the way he fought. He was thinking through his moves carefully, timing every action he made perfectly, to make sure he could execute the most effective tactic to take down this horde of enemies.

But there was something else she noticed. While he wasn't trying to kill any of the cultists, that much was certain, but he wasn't exactly playing nice with them either, he was elegant, yet ruthless in his moves, he wanted to inflict maximum damage without killing them. They hinted that even though he seemed to be in control, he was enraged beneath the mask he wore, both figuratively and literally.

The question was why? What made him so angry to be going on these thugs like this? What did they do to earn this rage? It could be that he was angry they were hurting people and instilling there own justice on society, but he was doing something similar? So what was it?

_"Tell Kallen I'm sorry."_

Kallen gasped as the words that her mother told her floated in her mind. '_Was that is?_' She asked herself. _'Is that why he's so angry right now? Why he's hurting them so badly? Because he's trying to make up for whatever thing he did to me?'_

Kallen wasn't able to dwell on these thoughts any longer, as she felt someone loosen her holds and hold her in a tight grip with a needle pointed at her neck.

* * *

Batman delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to one of the Zeros that sent him flipping upside down with a broken mask as he hit the floor headfirst. He breathed heavily as he looked around in the chamber. All the false Zeros were on the ground, unconscious, or in too much pain to stand back up, with either broken masks or broken bones.

He had to admit, that felt really good. Those worthless piles of scum had the guts to instill there own twisted justice on people who hadn't done anything wrong, but even worse: they had the stomach to call Kallen a failure. That was the straw that caused Lelouch to snap. Because Kallen was many things: beautiful, strong, courageous, selfless, passionate, fiery, hot-headed, compassionate, but the one thing she certainly wasn't was a failure. And whoever said that about her… well, they were gonna rot away in prison for a very long time, with a lot of broken bones.

"Stop right there pretender!" A voice called from behind him.

In an instant, Batman pulled out a Batarang and held it high as he spun around to face the origin of the voice. The leader of this assemble was holding Kallen in his arms with an injection needle of that 'fear toxin' pointed at her neck. That only made Lelouch's blood boil hotter.

"Drop the weapon now!" He ordered with fury in his voice. Batman made no move to follow the order. "I said drop it!" He repeated. He then gestured to the woman he was holding hostage in his hands. "Or she dies!" He threatened, and Batman could tell from the tone and body language that he meant it.

Grudgingly, but compliant, Batman slowly lowered the Batarang and placed it back in his belt, and stood up straight.

The faux Zero then started laughing maniacally at his apparent victory. "This is why you fail pretender!" He insulted the dark knight. "Because with all your attempts to impersonate and be like Zero, you fail, because only a man such as Zero had the power and the spirit to sacrifice everything to achieve victory!"

"I'm not trying to impersonate Zero!" Batman corrected the false Zero, the fury still in his voice. "I know I'll never be like him!"

"Yes! You can't!" The false Zero immediately agreed with the caped crusader. "Because one so feeble-minded as you can't compare with the achievements of Zero!"

**"NO!"** Batman roared definitely at the man's statement. "That's not it at all! I know I'll never be Zero, but it's… because I don't want to be Zero, that's the reason why I'll never become like he was."

"Then why?!" The masked fake asked, angered. "Why are you trying to do what Zero did if you are not trying to be like him?!" That was the big question, wasn't it? Well, it was time to answer it.

Taking a deep breath, Batman then declared, "Because even though the things that Zero achieved and have done were amazing… they were all built on lies!"

The entire group in the room was taken aback by the words that the masked vigilante just said, those that were still conscious that is. The Zero that was currently holding Kallen was trembling also, he clearly didn't believe the words coming from this 'man's' mouth.

"N-n-no! **NO!"** The man began to stutter in disbelief. **"NO! YOU LIE!** You're just trying to ruin the name that Zero by claiming all he worked for was a lie!"

"But it was a lie!" Batman said bluntly, not even fazed by the accusations of the false Zero. "He claimed that he did this for a noble crusade, but in reality, all he wanted was the destruction of Britannia, no matter what happened to innocent people! He lied to all his followers so that they would believe in him! The only time he ever told the truth was after he told his biggest lie. It was small, unnoticed by others, but he sought for only one soul to hear the truth."

* * *

Kallen was in a whirlwind. This Batman had just declared that all the achievements of Zero were lies and he didn't just sound like he believed it. He sounded as if he knew it! But how could he possibly know that!

And another thing he said cut her heart. He said that right before his death, he told his only truth for one individual to hear. Did that mean that Lelouch's statement to her was genuine and that he wanted her to live and not die with him? That he truly did care for her?

But, how would Batman know of any of this? Are the two actually working together to stop crime or is-

"I don't wish to have my accomplishments built on lies or the death of others!" Batman declared with power in his voice. "So I will strive not to replace Zero, but to surpass him! I am Batman, and this is my vow: to be a true knight for justice in the way Zero never could be! I will strive to be better than Zero ever was!"

The false Zero was trembling greatly at the last statement that his grip on Kallen loosened up slightly. "Better than Zero?" He muttered softly to himself. "How is that even possible?!"

Batman looked down at that. "I don't know," He admitted, yet he raises his head and his face held a strong determination in it, "But I intend to find out."

Kallen was stunned, not by the declaration that Batman just made, but the power of his voice as he made it. She heard the strength of that voice before, so many time, had fallen in love with it. Could it be? Could it actually be _him_?

_'Lelouch… is that you?'_

Her eyes then caught the sight of a Zero with a rifle aimed at Batman's (Lelouch's?) head! "Batman look out!" She shouted as she acted instinctively.

Batman turned to see the sniper and dodged the bullet that fired. Kallen had twisted out of the Zero that was holding and kicked him to the ground.

She then reached for the Batarang that knocked the vile of the drug out of the Zero's hand. Taking aim, she then threw the object to the sniper and knocked him off his point of elevation.

Whirling around, Batman had a surprised look on his face at the action that Kallen just took before smiling the first smile that she ever saw the masked crusader making. "Nice work!" He complimented.

She didn't know why, but that praise somehow made her blush slightly. But then she remembered the theory she had. She was about to ask him when he called out with horror on his face.

**"KALLEN LOOK OUT!"** Was all the warning she received before she felt something sharp enter her neck. Then immediately afterward, a liquid entered her bloodstream. Turning her head, she saw the Zero she kicked down was holding the vile of that drug and was injecting it into her body. Her eyes then widened in sudden fear.

Then a dark shadow passed her, and the next thing she knew, the Zero that drugged her was on the ground having his face smashed in by Batman! "You worthless piece of absolute-" Whatever Batman was gonna saw next didn't reach her as she crumpled to the ground and let the nightmares take hold.

* * *

They were shouting at her, condemning her to the depts of suffering. Her victims, her rescues, her mother, her brother, her friends, her comrades, her love, they all were condemning her for what she had done. And she wanted to comply with all of their requests. She wanted to die for betraying him and killing those people. She just wanted to die than to suffer the pain she was feeling.

But then she heard it.

A voice.

**_HIS_** voice!

It was calling her. Begging her to come back! To return to be beside him! To stay with him again! And she couldn't refuse! She reached with all her might to the source of the voice calling her name!

**_"KALLEN!"_**

* * *

**"KALLEN!"**

Said woman awoke her eyes to see a bat-like figure looming above her. She groaned as she began to rise from her slumber. When her eyes felt better, she glanced around at the location she was now in.

They were underground in some kind of bunker it seemed. Tech, very advanced tech, surrounded her. She then noticed that she was lying on a medical bed. She wonders briefly why that was when she recalled what happened. How long was she asleep?

"You were out for over 2 hours," Batman said, answering her unsaid question, "You were lucky too. If the fear toxin had been in your blood for a minute longer, then there would have been no way to cure you."

"How did you?" She asked a little sluggishly still a little sleep from the after-effects from the drug.

"I was able to grab an unused sample of the vile from the hands of that fake Zero." Batman began explaining. "Then do a quick analysis of the chemical components, I was able to synthesis an antidote to counter the toxin's own chemicals. And thankfully just in time!"

Kallen breathed a sigh of relief for Batman's action. She laid back down, which felt immensely better to her for the moment. She then caught a glance at his hands, which are supposed to be black but have the red stain of blood marked on them. She rose back up, slowly, as not to dizzy herself again. "Did you…?" She asked, not saying what she was asking.

Batman glanced down to his hands and signed. "No, I didn't. But I wanted to." He said darkly, which then reminded Kallen why he can be so frightening at times. "I wanted to kill him so badly. Because he took Zero's idea of justice and twisted it in a very wrong way that hurts so many people." It sounded like he wanted to say more but he seemed to stop himself before he said it. "But then I remembered that if I did that… if I allowed myself to go down into that place again… I'll never come back."

_'Again?' _Kallen frowned at the word as she looked to the man with a sense of realization. He had apparently been down the path of blood already and had managed to climb his way back out. So that gave an insight into his character.

Shen then recalled what he said back down into the sewer. "Did you mean what you said? About becoming better than Zero? And about his accomplishments being lies?" She asked him.

Batman gave a sigh. "For a long time, I believed what Zero was saying was righteous and true. But as time went on I saw the truth. That all Zero ever truly sought was vengeance. He may have had a few righteous reasons for doing this, but his main desire was vengeance against whatever injustice Britannia had forced upon him. He did awful things to innocent people, even though it granted him victory. He made mistakes that caused innocents blood to be spilled and some innocents to have that blood on their hands. Though he was noble in many of his actions, his darkness and hate still dominated him. And when he died, that's when I finally realized."

Kallen, who was listening intently, asked softly, "What?"

"That even though Zero inspired good and gave hope to those who were hopeless, he also sparked the flame for something worse than anything he could have predicted." Batman continued. "The Children of Zero are the example of this, as it the FLEJIA warhead. Zero's methods and his mistakes are what caused both to be born. They are the creations that were born of his hate and his arrogance. So in a way, the Children of Zero are his children, the children of his hate. And the FLEJIA is his ultimate weapon, even if he never used it."

"So what about you?"

"I vowed to clean the bloodstain legacy that Zero had. To create a world that Zero wanted to give the people. A world where people extend kindness to all those in need. I vowed to be a true knight of justice, better than he ever could be."

Kallen was stunned by the man's resolve. He was gonna change the world, by himself nonetheless. And Kallen just knew by the tone of his voice that he was gonna give it his all, or die trying.

Still, that knacking feeling was in the back of Kallen's mind. That beneath that mask was the man that she had fallen in love with. And that he now sought to create a world through different means. She wanted to ask him, but she didn't have the strength. Instead, she asked, "Did you know Zero?"

Batman looked at her for a moment. Then he answered. "You could say that I was created from Zero, or, more specifically, his ashes." He didn't answer the question. Seeing that Kallen wasn't understanding what he meant, he continued. "When Zero died, it allowed me to be born, to rise to the position that Zero claimed himself to be, yet failed to uphold. A knight for justice."

Kallen was surprised. Not by his words, or his determination. But more of the fact that she didn't slap him upside the head for degrading Zero and his accomplishments like he was doing now. But instead, she admired his goal and his desire to become what Zero claimed to be. But there was more in that determination than he was letting on. A more personal reason why he's seeking to become greater than Zero was.

But before she could press any more, he rose from where he was sitting and pulled another syringe from his belt. Kallen's faced morphed to fear for a brief moment before Batman soothed her, "Don't worry. This is only to keep you unconscious for a while, it won't hurt you. I just don't want to take any chances. You understand?"

She nodded. She completely understood his reasoning for secrecy. She then allowed him to approach her with the syringe. He then placed the needle into her skin, very gently she might add, and pressed down on the needle. Immediately she felt the liquid doing its job and sending her off to sleep. But as she was about to enter unconsciousness, she heard him speaking to her.

"I'm grateful your alive, Kallen." He said in that exact same tone when she last saw him!

Kallen then found herself fighting back against the desire to rest, to reach out to him and call him to her. But no, he was smart. He put her in a position where she was powerless and could do nothing after he said those words. But still, with all her fading strength, she gripped his arm and muttered _his_ name.

* * *

"Lelouch…" Kallen muttered, drowsily, as she finally slipped into unconsciousness due to the effects of the drug.

Once he was sure she was out, Lelouch took off his mask and gazed down at her. He felt a tinge of guilt for doing this to her, but it had to be done. She couldn't know, in order to keep her safe, she could never know. At least, not yet, hopefully.

As he moved his now bare fingers across her cheek, he could only think of how beautiful the woman layin in front of him was. And how on earth he deserved to be in the presence of this angel. Maybe it was his reward for saving the Collective Unconscious from his parents? Or maybe it was how he risked everything to try and change the world?

Again, he felt the temptation to let her in. to let her into his small circle of trust and show her the real Lelouch, not that she hasn't seen most of it, she is probably one of the few who has seen most of who he really is.

He sighed heavily. But again, he resisted. Not now. Not with what he was suspected was going on with Schneizal. He had to keep her at a distance to keep her from dying like all the other women who got close to his heart. Euphie, Shirley, C.C., Nunnally, and so on. He couldn't lose another, especially not her.

And he just knew Schneizal was up to something. After analyzing the fear toxin that the Children of Zero had, he discovered that the toxin was made from chemicals that could be traced back to the owner's transactions that originated within the Viceroy Palace. Lelouch frowned. What on earth was Schneizal doing supplying dangerous chemicals to a cult that will hunt down members of his own military and advanced weaponry to criminals? What did he hope to gain from all of this? Not money. And power never held much interest for Schneizal unless he needed it to accomplish his goals. So what?

He had too many questions and not enough answers. He needed more information before he ever made a move against Schnezial. And he couldn't let Kallen be caught in the crossfire. She needed to be safe, more than he needed, wanted her. He had to keep her away, at least until this was over. And… maybe when it was, they could get to know each other even better, like normal people. Or as close to normal as they could get.

He smiled as he began to imagine. All of them together again at Asford Academy. He chuckled as he thought of Arthur biting Suzaku again. No one knew why, but for some reason Arthur found Suzaku to be quite tasty. Perhaps that could be his next great case to solve when this was over.

Then sadness came over his features again as he realized it all of them wouldn't be there. Shirley had died because she knew his secret. Rolo had sacrificed himself by pushing himself beyond his limit to save Lelouch. Nina held scars because of what she had created. Nunnally was killed. C.C. died to destroy Geass.

It took a moment for Lelouch to realize that he was now crying. He quickly wiped away the tears, even though no one would be able to register them. All of those people, all of those innocent souls had died to protect him.

Maybe it was his Geass that caused all this. C.C. had said this power condemns them to a life of solitude, but Lelouch always figured that it was because no one wanted to be around them. But instead, it was because of the power that the user sought to stay away from others. But he had lost his Geass over three months ago. Would things be different, could they be different?

He scoffed as he shook his head. He could try all the logic in the world. Come up with reason after reason why he could allow himself to have feelings like that again. But not now. Not with Kallen.

But at the moment, none of that mattered. What mattered right now is that Kallen was safe, and he had to keep her that way by keeping her far away from him. "Goodnight Kallen." He whispered, knowing she couldn't hear him.

On impulse, he leaned over and kissed her gently on the forehead.

* * *

When Kallen awoke the second time after being put to sleep by a drug, she noted that it was much more pleasant waking up. She then recalled what led up to her falling unconscious a second time. Batman had taken her to his secret hideaway, where he saved her from that fatal fear toxin. Then he placed her asleep again to make sure his secret location stayed a secret.

He then spoke five words in the same sincerity that Lelouch once spoke to her when he disappeared: _"Kallen, you have to live." "I'm grateful you're alive, Kallen."_ Two different sentences, five words each, spoken with the same sincerity, spoken by two different people. Or are they really two different…

She then took in her surroundings. She was placed on a comfortable mattress and had a warm blanket draped over her. She then noticed that she was in the same warehouse where she had parked the Guren when she left for lunch earlier today. She then felt a buzz come from her pants, her phone, she reached down and pulled out the device. '86 missed calls' it read on the screen. She pressed the pick up button and held the device to her ear. "Hello?"

_"Kallen?!"_ Came Ohgi's very concerned voice on the other end of the line. It was so loud that Kallen had to extend her arm away from her ear. She then brought the device back when Ohgi continued his rant of worry. _"Where are you?! Why haven't you been picking up?! Everyone here has been trying to contact you?!"_

"Ohgi! Calm down! I'm alright! I'm fine, okay." Kallen finally voiced in after she found an opening in his worry. "I'm in the warehouse where I parked the Guren. I'm okay!"

_"We-Well where have you been?! Why haven't you been answering our calls?!"_ Ohgi asked. Kallen hesitated before responding. If she told him the whole truth, then he might get overprotective and not let her out again. So she might as well tell him the big parts, without her getting captured and drugged.

"Well," She began, uncertain on how to explain this, "I saw Lelouch-"

_"What?!"_ Ohgi interrupted, _"What did he do to you?! I swear if he hurt, so help me I will tear that sonofa-"_

"Nothing! Nothing! He didn't do anything to me! I just followed him around for a bit in a market place in the rebuilt section of the Tokyo Settlement before I lost him." Kallen quickly explained before Ohgi could have the chance to interrupt her again.

_"But why didn't you call it in?! If you told us where you saw him, we could be on that liar in an instant and get Japan back!"_ Kallen rolled her eyes at that statement. It was completely selfish of them to do this to get Japan back.

"I thought that maybe if it was one person following him I could have the better chance at jumping him," Kallen said though it was half the truth. She hoped and prayed that Ohgi would believe it.

After a moment of silence, Ohgi finally spoke,_ "Well, next time call it in. I don't anyone, especially you, to confront that piece of garbage alone."_ Kallen sighed, yet held the phone away from her so he wouldn't hear it.

"But I didn't just see Lelouch," Kallen continued as she brought the phone back to her, "I also met Batman."

**_"WHAT?!"_** Again Kallen had to hold the phone away from her ear at the volume of his voice. _"How?! When?!"_

"I was walking down the street after searching aimlessly for Lelouch when this group of cultist jumped me, they didn't hurt me!" Kallen said quickly so Ohgi wouldn't go into a higher overprotective mode. "That's when Batman came and made short work of the fanatics like they were nothing. You should have seen him and how he moved! This guy's everything they say he is, and more."

"Afterward, as I was recovering in his care, I wanted to speak with him, and he complied" Kallen explained, though it was slightly off of what actually happened, "I wanted to ask him what his motivation was. And what he said baffled me."

_"What'd he say?"_

Kallen took a deep breath before answering him. "He said that he desired to be greater than Zero ever was. That he wanted to stand what Zero failed to be. He also said that he was 'born from Zero's ashes' whatever that means." She recalled his words.

_"Why though?"_ Ohgi asked, more to himself than her. _"Why does he hope to become greater than Zero ever was?"_

"I don't know. But-" Kallen stopped herself before she could continue. Should she tell Ohgi about her theory regarding Lelouch and Batman? She shook her head and instead said, "He seems to genuinely want to be a greater hero than Zero ever was."

After a moment of silence with both sides of the phone contemplating what was said, until Ohgi finally broke the silence. _"Well, this means we can't put this off anymore. We need to talk to Batman. Come back and we'll discuss how we can get into contact with him."_

"On my way," Kallen responded unenthusiastically as she closed down the phone and walked up to the _Guren_. As she began the start-up process her mind wandered back to the raven-haired boy that had captured her heart, and a masked vigilante that had saved both her and her mother.

In her mind's image, the two figures overlapped to create one being. No matter how much logic could be put into it, she could not separate the two from each other. However, these thoughts would have to wait. Right now she needed to return to the Black Knights and find Batman. Hopefully, then, she could get her answers.

**A/N: another chapter done. As I said, I already have written the story on paper, I just have to revise on Google docs, and post it here. So updates will be spread out.**

**Also with the Children of Zero. What do you all think? I figured that a man like Zero would have some sort of cult that would be dedicated to following his ideals (in a twisted way that it is). I got the inspiration for them from the children of Arkham from Batman the telltale series video game. Great game you should play it! If I do a sequel of this story, I have plans for the Children of Zero and their twisted way of thinking.**

**Anywho, I hope you're enjoying the story and leave some reviews.**

**Next time, Batman learns the reason for Schneizel's alliance with the underworld, while the Black Knights come to Batman with a request that shakes him to his core. Meanwhile, Suzaku finds a dark secret inside the Viceroy Palace that reveals a dark secret about the Second Prince and his goal for the world.**


	6. Dark Projects

**_A_/N: I don't own Code Geass or Batman Beyond. They are awesome works that don't belong to me.**

**Here we're gonna see how Batman views the Black Knights and what Schneizel has been up to for the past several months.**

_One week later_

The first thing he noticed when he came to was that his head was now dizzy, felt like all the blood in his body had rushed to his head. Must be what woke him up. Wait? How did he fall asleep again?

As he finally opened his eyes, he noticed that the buildings seemed to be upside down for some strange reason. He then looked up, or more accurately down to the ground. And then felt a pt in his stomach.

He screamed at the top of his lungs, though no one was able to hear him. He glanced upward to see a dark bat-like figure holding him by the leg as he dangled helplessly about 50 feet in the air on a gargoyle located on a central clock tower.

"Time to talk," Batman spoke in his demonic voice that the thug heard rumors of, "Who's your supplier?!"

"I don't know! Let me go!" The thug demanded.

"If you insist," Batman responded grimly. Then he let go of the man's leg.

The thug screamed as he began falling to the ground, only for a rope to stop his descent suddenly and cause him to swing into the clock they were above. He then was pulled back up to meet the Batman face-to-upside-down-face. "Who are they?!" He demanded again.

"I don't know! Ask one of the other guys!" He offered as a way to escape this.

"I already did!" Batman responded, impatiently, "And the one before that! And the one before them! You're the guy they all came to! So I'm gonna ask again, and I better get an answer: **WHO IS YOUR SUPPLIER?!"**

He let the man drop again before he could refuse to give an answer. He was getting closer to the ground before he was finally pulled back up to face Batman.

"Okay! **OKAY! I'LL TALK!"** The man finally relented to Batman's tactics. "Some Britannian came to us, he looked noble by the way he talked! He gave us guns, weapons, and Knightmares!"

"What did he look like?!" Batman demanded. The thug began to give his description of the Britannian.

Auburn hair, light blue eyes, mid-twenties, and so on. Batman grimaced as one name came to his mind: Kanon, Schneizal's personal aid.

So this was the proof that he was looking for that Schneizal was somehow involved with the criminal underworld gaining new technology. But now he needed the reason. "What does he get in return for all this?!"

"What?!" Was the man's only response.

"What does this Britannian royal aid get in return for giving you scum weapons," Batman asked again, furious for not getting an answer, "Money?! Loyalty?! What does he get?!"

"Nothing!" Was the man's response. Batman didn't like that answer as he again dropped the thug down to the ground, and had him land as close to it as he possibly could before being pulled back up. _'This would be much faster and easier if I still had my Geass.'_ Batman thought.

"He didn't ask for anything like those things!" The man answered. "All he ever wanted from us was for some of the guys to go leave with him for some reason, never said why. And to keep an eye out for this kid. Here! I have his picture on my phone!"

Batman dug into the pointed pocket with his free hand and pulled out the device. He quickly accessed it and went to the photo library… and froze.

His mouth and eyes went wide as he stared into the face of the one they were looking for. _'Schneizal was working with criminal scum and common gangsters… all to find me?!'_

"Who else was given this photo?!" Batman asked as a new level of rage emerged on his features and in his voice.

"What?!" the man asked, confused.

"Who else was given the task to find this boy?! What did they tell you about him?!" Batman asked again, reaching his breaking point.

"Everyone who was given any of the stuff from that Britannian was given that photo and told to keep an eye out! The man never said why he was after the kid or anything about him!" The man answered. "So are we good?! Can you let me down now?!" he asked.

Batman grinned almost sadistically. He got his answers, or at least most of them. "Yeah. Thanks." He said as he then threw the man off the gargoyle, letting the rope that would usually catch him go too.

The man was screaming louder than he ever had as he fell to the ground with no safety net. Only for his fall to be stopped when he collided with a tree. Batman knew the fall wouldn't kill him. Maybe leave a couple of broken bones and a fear of heights, but he would be alive.

As the man ranted on how crazy Batman was, the dark knight was absorbed in his own thoughts as he stared back at his photo on the phone. He still could barely believe that Schneizal was resorting to criminals to try and find him. But Schneizal was always one for making strange 'allies' if it could complete his goals, then throwing them away when he was done with them.

As Batman pondered over this new piece of information, and how it would affect how he would go about taking Schneizel down, he noticed something in the sky that took all his attention away.

Up there in the sky was a symbol. HIS, or more precisely, BATMAN's symbol. His mouth hung open slightly at the sight of this, 'bat-signal'. He knew it meant that someone was trying to contact him, and he had a pretty good idea as to who.

He sighed. He knew this conversation was coming, but he didn't expect it to happen when he got his biggest lead. So he spread out his wings and leaped off the clock tower, firing his rocket boosters and flying off to where the light was being projected.

* * *

**"UGH!"** Tamaki moaned in boredom as he, and other high commands Black Knights, stood up top the building that they chose to light the bat-signal, as he himself called it. "We've been here for hours and he hasn't shown up at all! Whose idea was to use a spotlight with his symbol on it again?"

Everyone groaned at Tamaki's complaining. "First of all: We've been here for ten minutes!" Ohgi stated as he pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "And second of all: It was your idea to do this!"

Tamaki then had colored his face in embarrassment. "Oh," He said softly, "Then it was a good idea." Everyone rolled their eyes and continued to search for any sign of the Batman.

"Do you think he will come?" Tohdoh whispered as he came up beside Ohgi.

Ohgi was silent for a few moments before he responded. "I honestly don't know. " He admitted to the experienced soldier beside him. "But we can't exactly call him, or email him. And we don't want to stage an assault just to draw him out. That might give him the wrong idea of us."

"What makes you think I don't have the wrong idea already of you all?" A voice asked from the center of the group. Everyone leaped back and gasped as they saw that the one they were waiting for snuck in without anyone noticing, giving them all heart attacks.

**"DUDE!"**

Tamaki screamed, still suffering from a heart attack. **"DON'T DO THAT?!"**

Batman just ignored the redhead's complaint and stared intently at Ohgi, who felt incredibly uncomfortable under the masked man's white eyes gazing at him. He stuttered until Tohdoh, who gained some measure of sense, elbowed him in the arm to bring him back to his senses.

"We-well, B-b-batman!" Ohgi continued to stutter. "Welcome! W-we the Black Knights thank you for coming to see us by our invitation!" He held out his hand for the dark knight to shake. Batman didn't raise his hand, only glancing at Ohgi, then his hand, then back to Ohgi again.

Now feeling even more uncomfortable, Ohgi pulled his hand back and laughed slightly to relieve some of the tension. "Not much of a handshaker are you? Haha."

Batman didn't respond. There was a tense, awkward moment of silence between all those on the roof.

The silence was finally broken, to the relief of many, when Batman finally spoke, "Why did you call me here? I was in the middle of something important." He asked, folding his arms.

When the shock of his voice finally left his system, Ohgi spoke. "O-oh!" He began embarrassed. "Well, we wanted to say thank you for both saving our top pilot," he gestured to Kallen, "and her mother." He finished with a grateful smile.

Batman just stood there with an expressionless face. "That's it?" He simply said.

Everyone on the roof seemed to be taken aback by his questions.

"I'm sorry?" Tohdoh said with a raised eyebrow. The Dark Knight glared at the Japanese general in the eye, and even he had to admit he felt unease build as he stared into the white eyes of masked Warrior.

"You use a spotlight with my symbol on it to call me over here, away from my job, just to thank me?" Batman said. "Sorry but I don't take time off for thanks. If I did, a lot of more people would die. So I'm gonna have to leave you." He began to walk to the edge of the building.

Ohgi then rushed forward and gripped Batman's arm. "Wait!" He yelled. Batman slowly turned, and the gaze he sent Ohgi caused the man to shiver. He quickly let go of the masked vigilante's arm as he tried to regain his voice. "Of-of course we didn't just call you to hear to say thanks!" He laughed nervously. "We actually need your help."

Batman frowned as he gave a small hum in thought. Then he turned to face the group of Black Knights, folding his arms. "Why does the UFN need the help of a masked vigilante? They already have you all as their private army?" He asked.

Most of the members on the roof winced when he asked the question. Batman's eyes then widened with realization. "I see," He said, understanding, "You don't want the UFN to know what you all are doing, so you turn to someone who isn't in the UFN to help you."

"N-now hang on! That's…" Ohgi began to protest, yet stopped himself when he couldn't come up with a counter-argument. He then looked away from Batman wincing in shame slightly.

Batman gave out a sigh before he asked, "What do you need me to do?" Those ones the rooftop sparkled with enthusiasm at Batman's willingness to help them.

"We need your help tracking down a dangerous individual," Ohgi began as he reached into his coat and pulled out what appeared to be an envelope, he then handed it to Batman, "He's a high valued target that is a danger to both Britannia's and Japanese alike."

Batman proceeded to open the yellow envelope and take out the contents. Inside was a map of the continent and major cities, marked in certain locations that indicated the last-known locations of the target. Along with a list of frequently visited locations, known associates, aliases, etc…

…And a photo of the same individual on the phone that Batman had just viewed moments ago. He sighed at the photo of the young man. Apparently, the Black Knights were also hunting him too.

"The target's name is Lelouch vi Britannia," Ohgi explained, "He was the eleventh prince of Britannia, and seventh in line for the throne." Batman only frowned slightly as he stared at the photo of himself.

After a moment of silence, Batman spoke, "I think you need to get a new head of intelligence for the Black Knights." He then glared at the head commanders. "Lelouch vi Britannia is dead."

For a moment shock was portrayed on all the faces of the Black Knights. But for Kallen in particular, it was sadness.

Seeing that the Knights, or more precisely Kallen, misunderstood what he meant, Batman explained, "He died almost 10 years ago when he and his sister Nunnally vi Britannia were exiled to Japan, and when they invaded it soon after." Kallen let out a sigh of relief after hearing the explanation he gave, though no one, except the masked vigilante, noticed.

"Well, as it turns out, the reports surrounding his, and his sister's death, were proven false." Ohgi started. "He apparently assumed the identity of Lelouch Lamperoge, while attending a school known as Ashford Academy."

"And how exactly did you come across this information?" Batman asked out of false curiosity.

Ohgi turned to look at Kallen. "Our ace pilot Kallen Kozuki, who've you already met, and saved, attended the school with the target. Although she was unaware of his identity at the time." Ohgi explained.

Batman's frown deepened. "And how exactly did you learn of his true identity may I ask, Kallen Kozuki?" Batman asked. He already knew of course how she figured it out but wanted to hear her response.

Before Kallen could answer him, however, Tohdoh interrupted, "We all learned of his identity at the same time," he said, covering for Kallen in some way, "We were given this information by a source from the Britannian government."

"And who is your source?" Batman asked though he had a pretty good idea of who it was anyway. Yet he wanted to see how the Black Knights would answer. After a moment of looking at each other, as if searching for permission, Batman spoke the answer to his own question. "Was it the Second Prince Schneizel el Britannia by any chance?" There was a clear shock on all those present when he answered his own question.

"How do you know that?!" Tamaki asked.

"Before you lighted up your 'bat-signal', I came across an arms dealer who was one of the thugs that had been gaining more advanced technology these past few months." Batman lied, he knew that they originally got the information from Schneial when they betrayed him, but he had to seem separated from his old persona in some way. "In exchange for weapons and technology, he, along with several other arms dealers, was asked to send some of their men with the supplier," He reached into his belt to pull out the phone he was looking at moments ago, "And to keep an eye out for this boy."

He showed them the same photo that was in the yellow folder on the phone. Their eyes widened with shock. "But how did you connect this with Prince Schneizal?" Ohgi asked.

"The dealer I had a 'chat' with, gave me a description of the supplier," Batman explained, putting emphasis on the word chat, "The characteristics he described were of Kanon Maldini, Schneizal's personal aid."

As usual, Tamaki asked the obvious. "So what does that mean?"

Batman's frown deepened even more. "It means that for the past several months, Prince Schneizal has been supplying advanced weaponry and technology to common gangsters and criminals, in exchange for men and the location of his long lost brother Lelouch."

The shock on the Black Knights faces increased even more so with that declaration. **"NO!" **Ohgi shouted definitely. "That can't be! That can't be it! It must be his aid acting on his own!"

"A compelling theory, but not at all plausible." Batman countered. The Black Knights were confused by his statement. "Kanon Maldini is completely loyal, or more likely devoted, to Prince Schneizel el Britannia! He would never think about betraying that man, ever! Not for anything in the world!"

"And how would you know this?" Tohdoh asked, suspicious of Batman's knowledge of the character.

"I make it a point to look into everything I can of potential threats, or obstacles in my mission to protect the citizens of this world," Batman explained. "Whether it be from the Britannian military," His deadly gaze then glared at all the Black Knights on the roof with him, "Or even the Black Knights."

**"WHAT?!"** Ohgi shouted, in anger now instead of shock. "That's ridiculous! Why would we be a danger to the people of this world, our goal is to protect them!"

"Yes, it is… When Zero was alive." Batman countered. The faces of the Knights morphed back into shame at his words. "Before Zero appeared, the majority of the Black Knights, as well as their high command, were nothing but terrorists who sought to harm Britannians to gain back their land. Now that he is dead, what's to stop the Black Knights from falling back down to that level?"

The knights glared at the man who had just accused them of becoming like the very thing they were against, simply because the man who made them was dead.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Ohgi fired back. "The Black Knights don't need Zero anymore! We can get along fine without that con man running this army! All he is... is a liar and a manipulator"

"Is?" Batman said with a hint of suspicion in his voice

Ohgi frowned at the word he said. Then he froze with fear. He realized his mistake in his words.

"You and the Black Knights all reported that Zero had died in the last battle with Britannian." Batman began, walking slowly toward the new leader of the Black Knights. "Yet your wording right now signifies that he is alive. And by your tone and words of describing him, you sound as if you lost your respect for him. I wonder…"

Ohgi began backing slowly away from the dark knight as he continued to stalk toward him. The rest of the Knights present also wore faces of shock that Batman was unraveling their description.

"Did he truly die of Britannia's doing?" Batman asked rhetorically. "Or did he fall by the hands of those he led and followed him?"

Ohgi was backed up against the railing of the building they were now on, looking over the edge to see it was a long way down. He then glared at the caped crusader that was continuing to walk towards him.

"You don't know who he really is!" Ohgi shot out.

Batman stopped at that sentence. "And you do?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"More than you know! He was a liar who only sought power! He viewed all of us as pawns! Pieces on a chessboard to be moved around and sacrificed! **PEOPLE ARE MORE THAN THAT!"**

"And you think you're any better?" Batman asked calmly. Those on the roof were taken aback by that declaration.

"Judging by your hatred for Zero now," Batman began analyzing the purpose for this meeting, "And by your and Schneizal's desire to find Lelouch vi Britannia, I can gather that Lelouch was Zero along with being a prince. And you intend to sell him off to Schneizal to get something in return. Say maybe... Japan? And I can bet that the UFN wasn't part of the deal. Am I wrong?"

The silence that was given to him, as well as the faces, was all the confirmation he needed. "You all claim that he betrayed you in order to fulfill his desires. Yet you do the same thing." Batman accused. "By signing this deal with Prince Schneizal, you betray the UFN and all the countries apart of the union in a cowardly attempt to get your country back!"

"Cowardly?" Tohdoh asked, his voice held venom in it.

"Yes, cowardly. And utterly stupid!" Batman raised his voice as if he was condemning the Knights. "You think that just because you turn over or kill Zero, that Prince Schneizel will give your country back no strings attached?! Then you are all fools! Japan holds the largest deposit of sadakarite in the world, you think Britannia will give it away so easily just because they get an exiled Prince that's also happened to be their greatest threat out of the way?! That's even more foolish than what the JLF did with the hostages at Lake Kawaguchi!"

"That was not the action of the JLF of a whole!" Tohdoh countered. "They were the actions of a rogue commander-"

"Who was still in league with the Liberation Front when he launched the attack!" Batman cut him off before he could say more. "You say you are nothing like Zero, but you are all hypocrites who are sacrificing all you have worked for just to get a piece of land back while the rest of the world rotten under Britannia's rule! This whole thing you are in is bigger than just Japan! Why can't you all see that?!"

A moment of tense silence followed the accusation and question given by Batman's words. After a few moments, Batman spoke up again, but his tone was now much calmer. "I can see that my belief that without Zero the Black Knights would resort back to terrorism was wrong. You actually descended to an even lower level than that."

The Black Knights present glared at the Batman. But he didn't mind, he just began walking to the ledge of the building.

"I refuse to help you," He said simply as he continued walking, "I refuse to stoop down to becoming the kidnapper of a boy if it's to get a country back like that. That's not how I do things!"

Again he was met with silence to his words. He reached the ledge of the building when he spoke again, "I have no quarrel with any of you or any in the Black Knights, so I won't be going after you. But I warn you," His voice turned dark as he turned to face them with his white soulless eyes, "If you get in my way while I go after Schneizal, or warn him, or keep me from going on with my mission, I'll come for you. And I'll ruin you."

And they all knew he meant it.

He turned his back to them as he leaped on the ledge preparing to jump out to the city when he spoke one final time. "Whose idea was it to build that thing?" He gestured to the bat-signal that was still light up in the sky. He turned to see the faces of the Black Knights turn to Tamaki, who just shivered in nervousness.

Batman's face then broke into a humorous smile. "I gotta say," He spoke in an impressed voice, "I like it." He then jumped off the roof and spread his black and red wings and flew off into the night.

The Black Knights then stood there with bewildered looks on their faces in the direction where their 'visitor' just flew off.

Then Tamaki yelled.** "HOT DOG! I KNEW MY IDEA WOULD WORK!"** He whooped while the others just groaned.

* * *

Suzaku navigated his ways down the halls of the Viceroy Palace. It was late at night, so most of the staff went home for the night. Which meant it was the perfect time for him to get some answers.

_'I know Lelouch doesn't want me actively searching for any clues to help him in his investigation.' _Suzaku thought as he began to look around the halls for anything out of place._ 'But if Schneizal is really selling weapons and experimental drugs to criminals, I have to do what I can on the inside to take him down.'_

Suzaku internally laughed at that. A few months ago, his desire was to work hard enough in the system to change Britannia from within. Now he was working in the system to take it all down. Talk about a 180 turn.

After a long while of searching the palace, both outside and inside, Suzaku sighed and decided to call it quits for the night. '_Lelouch is better at this stuff than I am.' _He thought to himself as he leaned against a hallway wall. _'He would spot any of clue of a secret passage in an instant. He always did have a sharp ey-'_

Suzaku was cut off from his ramblings in his mind when his own eyes caught something peculiar on the floor. Tire marks, made from what appeared to be wheels from carts. Which wouldn't be out of the ordinary if the cart was being pushed down the hallway? But these marks went straight into the wall behind Suzaku.

He turned and examined the wall. After doing a few tests, he realized that the wall in front of him was hollow, unlike the walls next to it. He dug into his pockets and took out a sample of the contact lenses that Lelouch uses when he's not wearing his mask.

After activating them, Suzaku was able to find that beyond the wall, was another hallway that leads underground by the looks of it. Scanning for any signs of fingerprints as to find a way to open the door, he found a nearby panel on the next wall to the left. After unveiling the panel and seeing that it was a keypad that needed a combination of numbers, he scanned for the most frequently used numbers.

After punching in a number of combinations into the keypad, the door slid open and Suzaku, being mindful of the areas around him, made his way, quietly into the long white passageway. Against his better judgment to inform Lelouch about this immediately, he made his way down the hallway.

After twists and turns, he began to hear voices coming from behind him. Acting fast and using his physical prowess, he made his way into a nearby vent and hid there while the newcomers were discussing below him.

"Heh! That Earl of Pudding is so naive!" A man, a Britannian by his accent, obviously considering where Suzaku was, said in a cocky voice. He was wearing what could be a lab coat, so Suzaku assumed he was a scientist. "He thinks that advanced technology is the future of warfare. Genetic engineering is the future of the battlefield. Prince Schneizal thinks so too!" Apparently, this man had a distaste for Llyod's engineering department.

"Quiet amigo!" his companion, also a Britannian scientist, hushed his loud mouth partner. He was also wearing a lab coat, glasses, but held a datapad in his hand, though Suzaku couldn't get a good look of what was on it. "Were not allowed to talk about that stuff in the open! Prince Schneizal is trying to keep all this a secret. If the engineering department or any others discover that he's putting most of his funding into our department, we'll be ruined and be executed, and Schneizal will say that the money was stolen to cover his tracks."

"Okay, okay!" The first man soothed his overly cautious (or normally cautious, considering the crime they were committing), companion. "Yeesh! I was just saying. What's wrong with a little bragging?" He shrugged.

The man adjusted his glasses, a habit when he was in irritation. "It's wrong when that kind of behavior can get us killed!" He responded as he continued walking toward their destination.

Suzaku decided to follow these two idiotic scientists. They may be able to give him any insight as to what Schneizal is planning with this 'genetic engineering' that supposedly he was putting his money into, and could get everyone working on it killed.

As the two scientists continued to bicker, Suzaku's mind flashed back to what they said on how this could kill them. From what he remembered about war treaties, the promotion of genetic manipulation was forbidden for any such countries, unless it was used for the sense of medical enhancements. However, from the sound of these two, whatever they were working on was not for medicine.

As he continued moving, he noticed the pair of scientists stopped at a doorway. After punching in a code they slipped inside a room. Suzaku then dropped down and frowned slightly when he saw the keypad. Apparently, it also needed an identification card along with a code, so he would either have to wait for the door to open from the inside or wait for someone new to come in.

As it turns out, the former came much quicker than he thought as he heard the same voices coming to the door. '_Guess they were just checking on some stuff.'_ Suzaku thought as he uses his prowess to prop himself on the ceiling.

"Looks like the Venom had become a little more stable since its initial creation," The second scientist said as he emerged first from the room, "Though we'll need to run more tests before we can give it to the army."

His companion laughed darkly, "Heh! Good thing we got a whole lot of 'volunteers' coming in soon." He continued laughing as the door began to close with Suzaku moving into the room, silently…

...and what he saw took his breath away.

_'Now I know why they wanted to keep all this a secret.'_ Suzaku thought as he stared at the scene before him.

It was like one of those mad scientist laboratories that he saw in horror movies, only without the lightning in the background. Test tubes were lined up in rows. Chemicals of different colors were lined up all around him. Some rows even held mutated plant life. Others held some cryogenically frozen substances.

"What the heck is this place?" He muttered to himself as he walked through the room. He then noticed a computer in the back and began to move toward it. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a USB drive Lelouch gave him, then plugged it into the computer.

The notification symbol that the download was starting appeared as a bat. Suzaku chuckled lightly at that. Lelouch was working very hard to make sure everything he used now looked like a bat. But he also smiled because it meant that Lelouch was embracing his new identity.

His heart suddenly froze when he heard voices coming from outside the laboratory. Suzaku looked back to the download bar, '82 percent' it read. "Come on. Come on!" Suzaku muttered quietly to himself. The download beeped complete as the doors opened.

"As you can see Prince Schneizal," A new scientist began as he led said the prince in the room, "we have been able to make much progress with the subjects-" A grumble from Schneizel caused the man to straighten up slightly. "Sorry, 'volunteers' you have been gathering for us. Soon these armaments will be available for our soldiers."

"Very good Dr. Powers," Schnezial replied with satisfaction in his voice as he glanced around the room looking at the various 'armaments'. "I am curious though," He stated as he spun to face the doctor, "How does project Savior progressing?"

_'Project Savior?'_ Suzaku thought from his hiding space as he watched the pair. It must sound important if Schneizal himself is asking about it.

"Always interested in that certain project, Your Highness." Dr. Powers muttered while shaking his head.

"Well," Schneizal began calmly, but his tone was sounding deadly, meaning that what he was about to say was the only that the Doctor would hear of, "My benefactor has been breathing down my neck about its completion and it's the one he's most invested in. So I would want to know its progress."

_'Benefactor?'_ Suzaku thought again as he pondered over that word.

"Well," the scientist began as he looked over a tablet he was reading, "The serum is created. But with all the chemicals we put into it, it still leaves the subject with major damage to their psyche. We tried to dilute some of the chemicals to make it seem less severe. But that also weakens the positive effects of the system."

"Find a way around it then!" Schneizal said sternly, meaning that he wanted it solved, no matter what. "I don't want to hear excuses, I want to hear results! And I want to hear from them soon! Understand?"

The doctor merely shivered under the Prince's intimidating gaze. "Un-understood, Y-Your Highness." Dr. Powers stuttered as he bowed before the man. Schneizal then gave a satisfied hmph as he, and the doctor left the room.

After a few tense seconds, Suzaku dropped from where he was perched and made his way to the exit. After he made his way back to the hallway, he pulled out the old phone that Lelouch gave him and dialed his number.

The phone was confusing to handle at first, but after watching an instruction video on a media website, and reading how to use it from an online blog online, he had a slight idea of how it worked.

After a few rings, a voice came on the end of the line in Japanese. Suzaku responded in Japanese and after a few more converses, they switched back to English. _"What is it Suzaku?"_ Lelouch asked, slightly irritated, but not at Suzaku.

"Lelouch," Suzkau began, looking around to make sure he was alone, "I found something below the Viceroy Palace. And I downloaded information off a computer that you need to see."

He was met with silence for a few moments before Lelouch responded._"Didn't I tell you not to go looking for any information that might get you killed Suzaku."_ Now he was irritated at Suzaku.

Suzaku sighed. Sometimes this new overprotective Lelouch could be annoying. Sometimes. "Well you can lecture me later, right now I need to show you what I got."

_"Me too. Where should we meet? The FLEIJA crater?"_

"No. We'll need the Batcomputer to decrypt what I got off of a computer. And I want to tell you what I saw and overheard from Schneizal."

_"Understood. I'll meet you at the bat-bunker then."_

"Got it! Cause we really need to compare notes." Was the last thing he said before closing down the phone.

"What notes." A new voice asked from behind.

Acting instinctively, Suzaku, spun around and struck the owner hard in the face. Only when he saw who it was did Suzaku drop his guard.

"Gino!" Suzaku yelled, irritated at the Knight of Three, "Don't just sneak up on a person like that when they get done with a call!"

"Ow! Sorry." Gino said as he lifted pulled himself up, feeling blood come out of his nose slightly. He then grimaced as he saw the blood and began complaining to himself. "But I was just curious about who you were talking to."

"Oh! Uh…" Suzaku began trying to find the words that would convince Gino. "Well, theirs this big test coming up in school and well, a friend and I are going to exchange notes."

"Didn't you drop out of school after the whole FLEIJA blast though?" Gino questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, w-w-well, my friend is taking the test and I'm exchanging some notes I took so it can help him study." Suzaku continued, trying to get Gino to leave him alone.

"But, no offense to you, you weren't ever great with school work, right?" Gino had him there. Suzaku tried to come up with another excuse when Gion's eyes widened with revelation. "Ohh! I see how it is now." He said with a goofy smile on his face.

"You do?" Suzaku asked, worried that Gino was onto his and Lelouch's crusade.

"Yeah." He responded with that same goofy smile he always wore. "You got a hot date don't you bud?!"

Cue the interrupted record spinner noise. "Huh?" Suzaku said, clearly confused.

"You know, I almost didn't believe it, considering all the time I've known you," Gino continued with his conclusion, "but you finally got yourself a girlfriend man! Good for you!" He slapped Suzaku hard on the back on that last sentence.

"No! You've got it wrong! It's not a-"

"Ah, you don't have to hide it from me bud!" Gino interrupted the Japanese knight. "You go get 'em, tiger!" He said, quoting one of his favorite encouraging lines from a movie as he walked away from the boy.

Suzaku gave a sigh of relief and muttered when Gino was out of earshot. "Thank whatever higher power out there that that boy wasn't made a Knight of the Round because of his brain."

* * *

Lelouch was able to bring his hands up just in time to barely block the strike that Suzaku sent him. He was successful in stopping the attack from meeting its strike point, which would have been his face, but the force behind the strike knocked him back a few steps. After Lelouch regained his bearings, he gazed back into the green orbs that belonged to his best friend, and formerly, his worst enemy.

When the two met up at the bat-bunker, they shared their respective information. From what they were able to gather from each other, it seems that Schneizal was using the thugs that he was bringing in from the gangs he was supplying with weapons, and testing his genetic experiments on them.

But there were still many questions: Such as what was the mysterious project Savior that Schneizal and a mysterious benefactor were interested in? And who was that said benefactor? And was he the one who was the mastermind behind these events and not Schneizel?

Regardless, they weren't gonna find any answers doing nothing. So they've had the bat computer trying to decrypt the information that Suzaku got from the lab, which was slow going. So in the meantime, the two were spared, to both improve their skills and to see what they could still learn.

"I have to admit," Suzaku started, breathing heavily, "You've definitely gotten better at fighting these past few months."

"I had a good teacher." Lelouch reminded him, having his own large breaths coming in and out.

If someone picture months ago that Lelouch Lamperouge could tie with Suzaku Kururugi in a match of physical contest, they would have been deemed as insane and sent to an insane asylum. But things were different now. A lot different.

While Lelouch was improved both in skill and strength, he was still far away from Suzaku's level of combat. But Lelouch had a large advantage over Suzaku, and anyone else he fought for that matter. His mind.

He was already very adept in reading people's choices in battle and combat before being trained. Now, with the training he had, he was able to predict where the strike would come and find out the best means to counter it. Of course, the only problem was executing the counter-attack, and being fast enough to react to the move made by his opponent.

They had gone on for about maybe twenty minutes now and were on their third round. They decided that the victor would be the one who could knock the other one out of the man-made circle they made with chalk. Suzaku had won the first with landing a spin kick to Lelouch's gut. Lelouch was able to win the second by gripping Suzaku's arm and throwing him over his shoulder.

This match was close to its finish, both fighters could feel it. If either of them wanted to win, it was gonna be decided now.

Acting first Suzaku went airborne with his spin kick, which was the moment Lelouch had been waiting for. Moving quickly, he positioned his hands and gave a powerful strike to Suzaku's midsection just as his feet collided with Lelouch's face.

Their attacks knocked them both to the floor, out of their 'fighters ring'. In other words, a draw.

"We'll… we'll call it a tie." Lelouch groaned, out of breath, as he got up to his feet and walked over to his friend.

"At least for now." Suzaku gave his own groaned response as he struggled to stand. He looked up to see Lelouch holding his hand out for him to take, which he gladly accepted. The two old friends smiled at each other.

Their moment was then interrupted when the Batcomputer's notification rang, signaling that the decryption of the files was complete. Sighing, the two moved over to the computer, Lelouch taking the chair with Suzaku standing at his right, small towels draped around both of their necks.

"Now," Lelouch said in anticipation as he cracked his knuckles, "Let's see what my dear brother is hiding from us." He began to navigate through the newly decrypted files. He roamed through them when he came across a file labeled 'special projects'.

Opening the file, there was a list of other project names underneath it. Some had strange code names: Project Lazarus, Freeze, Hatter, etc. Clicking on a file code-named 'Bane', a video appeared. It seemed to be a laboratory with multiple doctors and a subject strapped to a table with an IV injected into him.

_"Dr. Ivan here," the head doctor began, "beginning the 24th test trial of project Bane." He then maneuvered to a lab desk and pulled out a syringe with a green liquid in it. "Through multiple trial and error with the substance we've classifieds as venom, we have developed a stimulus that greatly increases muscle strength beyond normal strength enhancements. However the effect of the subject's brain loss is irreparable, and Prince Schneizel has ordered us to forgo any attempt to reprimanded the effects." He then moved over to the IV and placed the syringe in the injection port. He then pressed down and the green liquid flowed into the IV wire and into the subject's body. Immediately, the subject's veins started to glow a bright green and his eyes matched the color. His muscles started expanding and he began thrashing wildly in his restraints. "Subject is becoming aggressive! Too aggressive! Kill the video! Get him tranquilizer darts now!" __The video ended at that._

Lelouch and Suzaku stared in shock at the events that just transpired. Feeling as if there was more to see, Lelouch moved over to another file titled 'Scarecrow'. Another video began playing.

_"This is Dr. Steven," the lead doctor began, "Using the serum development by Dr. Crane, we have successfully weaponized the fear toxin. What Prince Schneizel plans to do with this is none of my concern, so long as I get the necessary funding for my work." He then had a syringe with an orange liquid. He then injected it into another subject that was strapped to a table. A few moments after injection, the toxin took hold and the man began screaming and thrashing in his restraints in a futile attempt to escape the nightmares. "Will conduct further testing to improve the quality of the serum. Dr. Steven signing off." The video cut out._

The sickness in the two's stomachs only grew worse as they saw the video. How could Schneizel fund such experiments? Lelouch clicked on another label 'Poison Ivy'.

_"This is Dr. Fouler," a female doctor now began her report, "Using the research notes and pheromones from Dr. Isles notes, we have been able to mutated plant life forms into a very 'wild' state." To her side was a plant that looked like it turned into a monster with a giant mouth that could swallow a man's hand while. "It has also been revealed that if we apply the same genetic mutation to a female, the subject can actually have a psychic control over the plant life. As well as give off pheromones that attract members of the male society. Further testing is required to see what it is truly capable of." The video was then cut off._

The two frowned in confusion at what they had just seen. It was strange that Schneizel was now into genetic alterations, but now he was into mutating plant life? What was going on with him?

The two continued to view the many different file names: 'Phosphorus' turned people into living fire. 'Killer Croc' mutated man into a monster with crocodile-like skin. 'Freeze' turning men into living snowmen with frost powers.

The gruesome list of projects continued on and on. Development of two radically different personalities, needing a coin to make decisions. Turning men into a walking nuclear meltdown. Turning people into man-sized bat creatures-Schneizel stole that idea from Lelouch. And so on.

As Lelouch continued to roam through more files, one, in particular, caught his eye. It sounded strange considering one of Schneizel's character to have such a file with this name. Regardless, Lelouch clicked open the file code-named 'Joker'.

_The video opens up with a man inside a gas chamber, being viewed by Schneizel and an unknown doctor. "So," the doctor began slightly nervous at being in the imposing presence of the Second Prince, "using the formula acquired from him," the doctor empathized the word with a level of fear, "we were able to create a matching toxin that resembles the one he made."_

_"Just get on with it doctor," Schneizel ordered, impatiently. The doctor complied as he began twisting a valve. The room then began filling with a purple gas. The man in the chamber began pounding on the door, begging to be let out. But Schneizel nor the doctor complied with the man's pleas. The man continued to pound on the door as the gas enveloped the whole chamber. When it did, the poundings became less frequent and less impactful._

_For a long moment the room was silent as the gas began to evaporate from the chamber. When the gas completely evaporated, the man was no longer upright and seemed to be face-first on the floor._

_Suddenly the man's hand, now pale white slammed on the glass of the entrance of the chamber, scaring the doctor back while Schneizel just smirked. A noise then began to echo within the chamber, it was quiet, almost inaudible. But then, it began to increase in volume and frequency. It got louder and louder._

_And then the man erupted in full-on maniacal laughter as his face was now in view of those present. His mouth was wide in a large smile that seemed to be of anything but amusement. His eyes were wide and there was a sense of insanity in them. A sense that the man had just heard the funniest joke imaginable and he couldn't stop laughing._

_"Continue with the tests doctor." Schneizel order, barely fazed by the insane laughter of the man in the chamber. "Make sure that the gas is ready for deployment and shipment to the necessary locations." He then turned and walked away as the man continued to laugh crazily as he then fell to the floor in death. The same large smile on his face._

Lelouch and Suzaku just stared at the scene in duplicate looks of horror. Both felt the tingle of their spins when they heard the insane laughter of the man in the chamber. It was one of the most horrific and unnerving things that either of them had witnessed. And they both witnessed a lot of horrors.

However, the horror on Lelouch's face was then replaced with a seething anger that was similar to what he held when he was Zero. Lelouch knew Schneizel held no real value on people, but this? This just made Lelouch have an even lower opinion of Schneizel than he already had.

"I didn't want to believe it," Lelouch muttered to Suzaku, the anger still visible in his voice. "I didn't want to believe that Schneizel of all people would resort to…" He gestured to the screen, "...this."

"You had no way of knowing." Suzaku reminded him, trying to comfort his longtime friend, placing a hand on his shoulder. "To be honest, I don't think anyone ever really knew who Schneizel was behind the mask he showed off to the world."

"Just like me I suppose," Lelouch muttered to himself as the two continued to remain there in silence.

After a moment, Lelouch finally spoke. "Anyway, it doesn't matter right now." He declared as he took a deep breath and rose from his seat as he moved over to put on his suit. "What matters is stopping Schneizel and keeping him from hurting any more people."

"You're right!" Suzaku declared as Lelouch continued to suit up. "So, what's the plan? How are we gonna stop him?" Lelouch glanced over at the Japanese knight with a mournful look. He would always be grateful for Suzaku's help in his mission. But…

"'We' aren't going to be doing anything," He told with a hint of sadness in his tone, "I'll go after Schneizel and his projects. You're already in more danger than is safe for you."

The look on Suzaku's face was… Interesting to say the least. He was completely taken aback by Lelouch's words. Bewilderment filled his voice as he spoke his next words. "WHAT?! Why?! I'm the best chance you have of getting to Schneizel, and you won't use any advantage that you have at your disposal!"

"I'm done taking advantage of other people's positions and values to further my own goals!" Lelouch declared, his voice filled slightly with anger. "I'm done risking the lives of others for the sake of making my plans easier! If anyone is gonna be at risk from my plans again, it's gonna be me and only me!"

Suzaku could tell that he meant what he said, not just from his voice but also from his eyes. But there was more to this than that, Suzaku could tell. Deep down, Lelouch was afraid. Afraid of losing more people he loved. People like Euphie, Shirley, Rolo, C.C., and Nunnally. He didn't want to lose another person like that again.

But that kindness wasn't gonna stop Suzaku that easily.

"Lelouch," Suzaku began, placing his hand on the man's shoulder, "You're my friend, my best friend. I care about you too! You think that if you die and I live I'll be okay with that?! I would be just as crushed if you died when I could have done something to prevent it! I know you don't want to lose anyone you care about anymore, but that doesn't mean that you have to do all this alone! I will stand by you no matter what happens! As your friend!"

Lelouch was shocked. After all, they had done to each other over the past two years, the bond they developed as children were as strong as ever. Even stronger than it was. It made Lelouch tear up in joy.

"I'm grateful Suzaku," Lelouch said truthfully, "I'm grateful for you and your help in all this. Know that I will always be grateful and happy that you stuck with me through all of this." He then had a look of regret in his eyes and in his voice as he said his next sentence. "And know that I am so sorry."

Suzaku frowned. "Sorry for what?" He asked, confused.

Lelouch said no more as he pressed a button on his utility belt. Suddenly, electricity danced around the suit and traveled up the path of Suzaku's hand, shocking him into unconsciousness. He knew that a shock of that magnitude wouldn't kill or seriously harm Suzaku, but it would keep him from stopping Lelouch from getting to the Viceroy Palace.

Lelouch lifted Suzaku up then placed him in a semi-comfortably position in the bat computer's chair. "I'm sorry Suzaku," He muttered, knowing the boy couldn't hear him, "but I just got to do this on my own."

**A/N: So I said that Batman villains would appear in a way that was different than in the comics. I thought this would be a great way to introduce them in the story, even if they won't be officially apart of the story. Hope y'all like this way though.**

**Also I want to stress something to the reviewers. This story is an origin story at the moment. So I won't have any characters like Robin, Batgirl, Catwoman, or any other of Batman's usual allies to come to help him out. Maybe in the sequel or something like that. But for now the focus is on Lelouch and his transcendence into Batman.**

**And yes, the Doctor Powers is Derik Powers from Batman Beyond TV series, although he won't become Blight. But he will burn in another fashion.**

**Next time Lelouch's arrogance costs him as he attempts to solve everything by himself, like it always does. Meanwhile, the Black Knights learn the truth, or a certain point of view of the truth, behind the reason for Batman.**


	7. The Savior Revealed

**A/N: I do not own anything Code Geass or Batman Beyond. They are great works of animation that belong to people who are not me.**

Suzaku groaned as he slowly awoke after the shock that he got from Lelouch's suit. He really should have known that Lelouch would put something like that into the suit, but he always did like having a surprise or two up his sleeve that he kept from everyone else that only he knew about.

He glanced around the Bat-bunker, searching for signs of the raven-haired youth that shocked him into sleep. Only finding that he was alone in the bat-bunker. The _Kōmori_ was still here, so Lelouch must have traveled by foot, or more precisely wings, to get to the Viceroy Palace.

'_That idiot!' _Suzaku thought as he pulled up the tracker on the suit on one of the Bat computer's screens. He knew where Lelouch was going of course, but he had to figure out how far ahead Lelouch is. The tracker showed he was well over-half-way to the Viceroy Palace, so Suzaku wouldn't be able to get to him before he reached there. But Suzaku could still catch up to him.

But would it matter? Even if the two of them stopped Schneizel, Britannia won't exactly believe the word of a masked vigilante and an Honorary Britannian that their second Prince was involved in genetic mutations.

They needed evidence, and they needed someone they both trusted to get the word out. Fortunately, they already had the former, and even more so, he had a pretty good idea for the latter.

He grabbed his phone, thankfully the one he knew how to work, and dialed the desired number. The phone rang for a few minutes before the other end picked up.

"_Hello?!"_ Came the singsong voice of the she-devil of Ashford Academy.

"Hey, Milly!" Suzaku responds with a smirk that could rival Lelouch's demonic grin formed on his face. "Man have I got a story for you!"

* * *

Getting into the new Viceroy Palace was easy enough. For one: it was still under construction so the guards couldn't develop an effective enough patrol pattern until it was complete. Two: thanks to Suzaku's surveillance, Batman had a good idea of the perimeter and where some good blind spots were. Three: the cloaking device in his suit was exceptionally good at keeping him, we'll, cloaked.

After roaming through the halls of the Palace, he came across the wall Suzaku indicated was the entrance to the laboratory. Following the same path Suzaku took, Batman entered into the secret hallway and made his way down to the lab.

After arriving at the door that required a keycard, Batman used his cryptographic sequencer to hack into the badge scanner. After a few tries, Batman found the back door code to unlock the door: 'Absolute Peace'. Ironic. As the door slid open, Batman stepped into the room…

...and caught his breath.

The room was empty. No computers, no test tubes, no chemicals, no nothing. It was just a blank white room that was empty save for him. He looked around frantically, disbelief filling his features as he looked back and forth around the room.

"What, what is this!?" He called to no one

"It's a white room? Isn't it obvious?" A voice he had not heard in months spoke from behind, sounding amused.

Batman growled as he finally realized what he stepped into. '_A trap._' he muttered to himself in his mind as he spun around to face his elder half-brother and the only one to have defeated him in chess.

There he stood, holding that amused, yet victorious grin on his smug face. To his right side was his aid Kanon, of course, along with a few royal guards, and Gino. But also was Ohgi and the other high command of the Black Knights. Guess his warning didn't do anything to dull the Black Knights' actions, but he should have expected it, yet that didn't keep him from getting angry.

"Schneizel," Batman growled out the name, assuming the role of the apex predator of the night, "Where are they?!"

"Where are what?" Schneizel asked innocently as if nothing is wrong.

"Don't you dare play dumb with or look down on me!" Batman roared, the fury was seething through his mask. "Where are all your projects on genetic mutation?!"

The Black Knights seemed to be confused by Batman's statement. "Genetic mutation?" Schneizel asked if the word sounded foreign to him. "I'm sorry, but you must be mistaken, genetic alterations were forbidden under the contract of the three world superpowers. So you must be in the wrong place?"

Batman then began to walk forward, in an attempt to viciously grab Schneizel, however, Kanon was faster. Pressing a hidden switch, two holes opened up in the floor near where Batman was walking. Then, red electric energy ropes shot out and wrapped around the figure of the dark knight.

The electricity danced around Batman's body as the shock also began disabling his suit. He fell to the ground, grunting in pain as the electricity flowed onto his body.

"Thank you Kanon," Schneizel said kindly to his faithful servant, who only bowed in response, before the second prince turned his attention back to the masked vigilante, "Now, for spreading false accusations, trespassing on the grounds of the Viceroy Palace without authorization, and threatening both a Prince of Britannia and an army of an organization, I believe it's time to see who you are."

He lifted his hand and gripped the mask tightly. Normally when someone tried for this, they would be met with a shock that would leave them residual nerve damage. But with the electric ropes around his figure, all the suits systems were shut down. And so, nothing stopped Schneizel from ripping the black fabric off his face, revealing a set of raven black hair, and violet eyes.

The faces of everyone present were mixed. The Black Knights held shock, which then turned to anger very quickly. The Royal guards had looks of disbelief as they saw the face of the one beneath the mask. Kanon only smiled, pleased with his masters triumphant. Gino's jaw dropped completely at the face of the weakling he met at Ashford months ago was the brutal dark knight.

Schneizel only held an impassive face at the reveal, not at all surprised, or pleased, like always, he never cared about anything. "Hello, brother." He said, his voice devoid of emotion. Lelouch only growled, both in reaction to Schneizel's action and the pain from the trap.

"So it was all just another con!?" Ohgi asked furiously as he came up to Lelouch. "The whole desire to be better than Zero?! It was just a con so you could get revenge?! Huh!?"

Lelouch said nothing to the accusation, his only reaction was wincing slightly in the pain from the electricity.

"Why of course!" Schneizel replied, in false cheerfulness. "Lelouch sought to create a new symbol of justice to replace what Zero was and become greater than he ever did as Zero. And then when he believed he was, he could strike out in revenge and seem justified in the eyes of the people. Isn't that right dear brother?"

Lelouch said nothing to deny it. Mainly because it was true that he became Batman as a way to become a greater symbol of justice than Zero ever was. However, the last part was a lie, though it wasn't like the Black Knights would believe him.

"Wait hold on!? Lelouch Lamperoge is Zero!?" Gino yelled in unbelief at the declaration made by the Black Knights.

Schneizel only looked at the Knight of Three with amusement in his eyes. "No Sir Weinberg, Lelouch Lamperoge is not Zero. However," Schneizel looked back down to his brother, "Lelouch vi Britannia, former eleventh prince of Britannia and seventeenth in line for the throne, is Zero."

If Gino's jaw could sink any deeper, it would have sunk to the other side of the world from where he stood now. And continue falling.

"A matter we will discuss for another time, Sir Weinberg." Schneizel interrupted before Gino could say anything. "For now though, we have other matters to discuss." He then called to outside the empty room. "Bring him in!"

Three individuals came into the room in a semi-straight line. The two individuals on the ends were members of the royal guard. While the individual in the middle of them was-

"Suzaku!?" Lelouch finally spoke, however, it was a painful effort with the electricity dancing all over his body.

Suzaku struggled to get free, but the guards holding him were some of the strongest in the empire. So Suzaku wasn't gonna win in a battle of strength with them.

"We know that Sir Kururugi has been conspiring with you for the last several months," Schneizel stated in a matter-of-factly sort of way. "However, if his actions are his own, or if he was made to do these things, we do not know. He claims that his actions are his own, but considering you and your Geass." Schneizel didn't need to finish for Lelouch to know where he was going with this.

"I told you! My actions are my own you monster!" Suzaku fired back still struggling against the iron grip of his captors. "Using people for your horrific experiments! Turning people insane for the sake of more effective weapons! How heartless are you for doing this?!"

"See what I mean?" Schneizel asked the whole group, ignoring the boy's accusation. "We don't know if this is what he truly believes, or if it is what Lelouch is making him believe."

He then pulled out a pistol and aimed it at the boy's head. "If it is really what he believes, then he must be executed with the charge of treason." He then glances back to Lelouch. "However, if he is indeed under your control, then simply release him and he will be spared."

Suzaku wasn't always the brightest person in the room, that much he admitted, but he knew what kind of game Schneizel was playing with Lelouch. He was threatening to kill Suzaku if Lelouch didn't do anything to drag his name in the dirt even more. And knowing Lelouch, it was obvious what he would choose. So take a deep breath, ready to finally die after so long of living with this guilt he opened his mouth.

"I, Lelouch vi Britannia," a voice that wasn't Suzaku's began speaking, stopping Suzaku from saying a word, "hereby release Suzaku Kururugi from my control over him!"

For a split second, the two's eyes met. Words were conveyed without even speaking. Suzaku's side with the plea to stop what Lelouch was planning on doing. While Lelouch was more frantic with the desire for Suzaku to live. Even more so than his Geass command to live allowed him to be. So, inwardly sighing, Suzaku accepted Lelouch's desire.

Feigning confusion, as if he had come out from a deep slumber into a new scene. He glanced around with the best look of confusion as to where he was and why he was there.

When his eyes locked on with Lelouch, he did the best impression of a stink eye he could give. He was able to get out of the lessen hold of the guards and stalk over to Lelouch. "You filthy lying murderous sonofa-" his next words were cut off when his fist collided with Lelouch's face.

He then continued to beat Lelouch as he sprouted up all the terrible things he had done. Killing Euphie, starting a massacre, starting a war, etc. During the beating, Suzaku felt as if long-dormant feelings of hate emerge. And it made him sick. As he beat on Lelouch he felt both pleasure and disgust at his actions.

All the while, all the occupants, except for two, smiled at the scene. Gino was just more confused as to what was going on, and Kallen was wincing in sympathetic pain at Suzaku beating up on Lelouch.

Eventually, Schneizel decided that was enough and motioned for the guards to remove Suzaku from Lelouch. The boy resisted and continue to beat on the restrained youth. Finally, they were able to remove the boy, but not before he gave one last kick to the boy's face before being pulled out of the room.

"Well," Schneizel said after a few moments of tense silence, "I believe that answers that question." He then looked down at the restrained and now beaten, form of Lelouch. "It appears there is only one criminal here. You'll face execution tomorrow for the murder of the Emperor, and the attempted murder of the Second Prince."

A guard then came up behind Lelouch and raised his gun. The next thing Lelouch knew, the whole scene became black.

* * *

When he opened his eyes again, the first thing he felt was the stinging pain from Suzaku's strikes. He knew that it was just an act, but man could that guy hit hard. He then noticed that his bat-suit was replaced with a straight jacket, much like he wore when Suzaku dragged him to the Emperor after the first Black Rebellion. Which meant he was a prisoner, but where was he a prisoner at?

The next thing he noticed was that he was in a cell specifically designed to stop him from using his Geass on others. Although that was unnecessary because he lost him, yet he couldn't let them know, he had to keep Suzaku safe.

As he continued to scan around his prison, he heard faint chatter come from what appeared to be the entrance to the cell. The door opened to reveal Ohgi, with a frown on features as he stared down the man he used to follow. At first, Lelouch was surprised that Ohgi came here without any sort of geass countermeasures, but after looking closely in his eyes, he noticed that he was wearing contacts used for geass countermeasures.

"How the mighty have fallen." Ohgi simply said. Lelouch didn't give a response to the Japanese man. "Months ago you had the world wrapped around your lies, now look at you. About to be publicly executed by the people you viewed as pawns on a chessboard, and the people who believed you to be a hero."

Lelouch didn't respond to the man's statements, he only looked down in shame. Ohgi frowned at Lelouch's silence, he expected an outburst or a denial. But no, he was only met with silence.

"The Black Knights don't need you anymore." Ohgi then said, trying to find a sore topic to get Lelouch to speak. "We don't need your influence or your plans. We already have a way to get what we wanted. You're useless to us now!"

Silence.

Ohgi then clenched his fist in irritation. "Say something!" Ohgi demand. No response. "**SAY SOMETHING!"** When Lelouch didn't respond, Ohgi gave up, it was pointless anyway. What did he hope to accomplish by coming here? He turned and made his way to the exit.

"What could I possibly say?" A broken voice finally spoke.

Ohgi froze before he could place his hand on the door. He turned back to the man in the straight jacket, who now had his eyes held up and looking at the Japanese man.

"What could I possibly say that you'll believe?" Lelouch asked rhetorically. "What could I tell you that you won't believe is either a lie or an excuse for my actions? If you don't believe a word I'll say, then what's the point of even talking with you?"

Ohgi seemed about to lose it before Lelouch interrupted him. "But, if it will satisfy you, I'll tell you the truth. The truth on why I became Zero, why I became Batman, and what my current mission is now. Though I doubt you'll believe it, I'm tired of lying."

Ohgi scoffed and rolled his eyes at the man's statement. "We already know the truth! You wanted revenge against your father when disowned you! And you became Batman just so you could gain back the title you lost as Zero!"

"Are you gonna let me talk like you wanted?" Lelouch asked with an exhausted tone. "Or do you like the sound of your voice so much that you rather just continue your baseless accusations? By the way, where did you get any of those ideas? Was it Schneizel? Or Viletta? Or did you come up with them by yourself?"

Ohgi merely turned away from the bound boy and crossed his arms. A scowl was clear on his face as he mumbled something that was not for kids to hear. Lelouch ignored him and took a deep breath before he began his tale.

"I was born Lelouch vi Britannia, eldest son of the late fifth consort Empress Marianne. Eleventh prince of the empire and 17th in line for the throne. I only had one full-blood sibling, my younger sister Nunnally, and who knows how many half-siblings."

"I didn't come here to hear your life story!" Ohgi interrupted, irritation taking hold of him. "I came here for answers! And you better give me them!"

"I will." Lelouch simply said. "But for you to understand them, you must understand my reasoning, and to do that, you must know the whole truth," Ohgi grumbled, but didn't protest anymore.

"For the first nine years of my life, I experienced nothing but happiness." Lelouch continued, feeling a sense of nostalgia at the memories. "I had my mother, my innocent cheerful sister, a number of half-siblings, some I loved, most others I couldn't stand. It was pure happiness for those nine years."

Lelouch then looked down, depression was now falling upon him. "But that was all ripped away from me when my mother was murdered," his voice then turned dangerously cold, "And my sister became blinded and crippled as a result of that. I barged into the throne room and demanded of my father that justice be done and why he didn't visit Nunnally. Do you know what he said? 'Old news what of it?' and 'I have no use for that weakling.'"

Ohgi seemed to be taken aback by that comment. "He calls his wife's, and everyone knew she was his favorite, death old news," Lelouch spit out venom, "And he called his newly crippled daughter a weakling! I then gave up the throne and any claim I had to it, _voluntarily_." He emphasized the word. "And he claimed that I was dead to him. Then he sent me and Nunnally off to Japan as political hostages! My father, basically told me my mother didn't mean anything to him, that Nunnally was now a weakling by Britannia's standards, and just declared that to him I didn't even exist!"

After a few moments of tense silence, Lelouch took several deep breaths to calm himself down. Thinking about those days always brought anger to him, but he was a lot calmer now, especially since he knew the truth.

"Anyway," he continued, the anger had faded, yet not completely, from his voice, "Nunnally and I arrived at the Kururugi shrine and that's where I met Suzaku, where he then proceeded to beat the crap out of me." Lelouch could've sworn he heard Ohgi snicker at the thought of it. "It wasn't until Nunnally called him to stop that he ran away in shame of his actions." Lelouch coughed out a laugh. "He's always been like that, compulsive, and idiotic in his actions, not taking in the situation at hand. But then a few days later we warmed up to each other and became friends." The ghost of a smile appeared on Lelouch's lips.

"I came to love the country of Japan and its people." Lelouch smiled at the memories of his time in the country after his exile. "It became like a second home to me after my first was ripped away from me." His joyous smile then turned to a saddened frown. "All that changed when Britannia invaded and ripped away from me the second home I ever knew."

Ohgi frowned in sadness when the memories of the war came back to him as well. It was a sore subject for him, so he didn't press Lelouch for any information about his own experience.

Eventually, Lelouch found his voice again and continued his tale. "For the next seven years, I've lived a false life under the name Lelouch Lamperoge. I had friends, I had Nunnally, but I also had anger." His voice turned dark at that. "So much anger just bubbling underneath my skin. And I didn't have a way to channel it or dictate it. I was dead for seven years. Dead for seven long years… Until Shinjuku."

He looked Ohgi back in the eyes. "You and your terrorist group got desperate and stole a canister of poison gas." His voice held a slight bit of anger at Ohgi for stooping down to that level. But then he remembered that desperation can lead to people committing rash actions. He should know. "Your hijacked truck nearly ran me and my friend Rivalz off the road. I ran to check up on the truck, to see who was hurt. Only to fall in the truck and get pulled on a joyride that would change my destiny."

"I met up again with Suzaku, who became a Britannia soldier, when the gas canister opened, revealing not poison gas, but a green-haired girl." Ohgi's eyes widen in realization at the description, recalling the same colored hair woman the following Zero around. "Royal guards came after us and Suzaku was shot down trying to protect me. They later caught up to us and shot C.C. in the head. That was then she reached out to touch me and gave me my Geass power."

"Wait!" Ohgi interrupted, confusion appearing on his face. "How could they shoot her in the head and still be with you when we were rebelling?! No one could walk away from a headshot!"

"True," Lelouch agreed, before grinning slightly, "No _normal_ person could walk away from that kind of injury."

Ohgi frowned in confusion at the man's words before his eyes widen slightly. "Yes," Lelouch confirmed before Ohgi could get a word out. "C.C. is immortal, due to a power known as the code." Seeing more confusion on Ohgi's face, Lelouch continued. "The code is a point in which when a person's Geass becomes fully developed, they can take the immorality from a code bearer and become immortal themselves. However, they also lose their geass as a result."

As Lelouch watched Ohgi take in this new information, he then asked another question. "I'm sure you want to know more about geass right?" Ohgi only nodded. "Then I will tell you about the day I discovered the truth about the power of geass. That it is not a blessing, but instead, a curse. The Special Zone Massacre."

Something in Ohgi broke when Lelouch mentioned that. "You caused that!" Ohgi fired. "It's because of you that so many of my people were murdered! And it all was a publicity stunt so that you could get support to launch your rebellion that failed! You made your sister kill-"

"**YOU THINK I WANTED ANY OF THAT?!"** Lelouch roared, causing Ohgi to step back in fear. "**YOU THINK I WENT THERE JUST TOO GEASS EUPHIE TO KILL THOSE PEOPLE FOR A PUBLICITY STUNT!? YOU ARE A FOOL OHGI! THE ONLY ONE I WANTED TO BE SHOT THAT DAY WAS ME!"**

Ohgi's eyes shot open at that last part. "Wh-what…?" He asked softly taken aback.

"**I WENT THERE TO HAVE EUPHIE SHOOT ME SO THAT SHE WOULD THEN LOSE CREDIBILITY AMONG THE PEOPLE!"** Lelouch continued to rage out, tears of regret and anger at himself started to pour from his eyes. "**I WAS JUST ABOUT TO DO IT WHEN SHE TOLD ME THAT SHE GAVE UP HER CLAIM TO THE THRONE AND THE TRUE REASON WHY SHE DID THIS! IT WAS SO THAT I WOULDN'T HAVE TO FIGHT ANYMORE!"**

Ohgi's mouth was held wide open.

"**SHE SACRIFICED HER STANDING AND HER GUARANTEED SAFETY NET FROM THE NOBILITY AND OTHERS THAT WOULD SEEK TO HARM HER, JUST SO THAT SHE COULD BE WITH ME AND NUNNALLY, AND THAT I COULD STOP FIGHTING!"** The tears were now falling freely and Lelouch couldn't stop them. "I then decided to go along with the plan, for both her and Nunnally's sake. We got to talking and I told her about my original plan to have her shoot me." His voice was much calmer now, yet still held in it great despair. "That's when it happened."

"I made a joke about what I could make her do, and it was too massacre the Japanese." Lelouch continued, his voice shaking. "That's when I lost control. My Geass turned on by itself, and she took the joke as an order. She fought it like no one ever had before. But in the end…" He closed his eyes in pain. "...she lost."

A moment of uncomfortable silence passed before Lelouch found the strength to speak again, barely. "I knew there wouldn't be any way to stop her from carrying out the command. So to stop her from killing any more innocent people, and to make sure she didn't have to live with the guilt," He steeled himself for what he was about to say next, "I had to kill her."

Lelouch then glared dangerously at Ohgi. "Do you know what it's like?" He asked with venom in his voice, daring the man to answer. "A sweet and innocent loved one gives up everything just so you won't have to fight anymore and be with you. Just because they want to help you and others. And because of your arrogance and stupidity, you end up making them hurt and kill the people they tried to help. And you end up having to kill them just so they don't have to live with it! **DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT'S LIKE OHGI?!"**

Ohgi took a step back because of the fury that was in Lelouch's voice when he asked the question. However, he said nothing.

"That's what I thought," Lelouch said, his voice slightly calmer, yet the tears still flowed down from his face.

Deciding to change the topic, for his sake than Lelouch's, Ohgi then asked. "Did you kill your father?"

"Yes." Lelouch simply said. "I decided that would be my final mission: to rid the world of that man, even if I died in my attempt. I chased after him to Kamina Island and confronted him in C's world."

"C's world?" Ohgi asked, confused at the term.

"Is the realm of the gods," Lelouch explained. "Its where a being is known as the collective unconscious, which was called God by my father. It's the database of all the minds of humankind. Charles sought to destroy it to create a world without lies."

Though Ohgi was still confused, he let Lelouch continue.

"I rejected that kind of world. A world where people are stagnant, not progressing, stuck in the past. That's not the world I want to create, not for Nunnally."

"But there I also realized another truth. I learned the real reason behind my mother's murder. It was out of jealousy by my uncle, a being known as V.V., who is immortal like C.C." Lelouch continued.

"And then the unthinkable happened, my mother appeared right in front of me. My mother, who I believed was dead for eight years, was alive! The person that was the other half of the reason why I went so far, was smiling at me! **SHE ABANDONED ME AND NUNNALLY, AND WAS SMILING!?"** Lelouch's anger returned. "**HALF THE REASON I DID ALL OF THE TERRIBLE THINGS I'VE DONE WAS TO AVENGE HER, AND SHE WAS ALIVE THE WHOLE TIME, AND SUPPORTED THAT MONSTER THAT I HAVE TO CALL A FATHER!"**

The rage that he felt when he learned the truth burned bright in Lelouch's soul. The woman who he sought to avenge was supporting the madman Lelouch sought to stop. Not only that, but she also didn't care if he or Nunnally died, because they supposed they would later be resurrected with the other dead. And that broke Lelouch's spirit, or so he thought.

"I decided to reject the kind of world they desired." Lelouch continued, his voice returned to a somewhat normal tone. "The kind of world both of them sought sickened me. It was stagnant, you could hardly call it life! I wanted the future! So I was able to use my Geass to ask the Collective Unconscious to continue the flow of time. And in doing so, it erased the existence of my parents."

Silence followed after Lelouch's explanation. Though Ohgi had a hard time believing all of this, or even believing if any of what Lelouch was saying was the truth, he could see in the youth's eyes that the revelation of his mother broke him. Deciding to change the subject again he asked, "What happened with that C.C. woman?"

"She died," Lelouch said simply. Since he told Ohgi earlier that she was immortal, he was confused, so Lelouch explained. "She was a part of my father's plan and knew the truth about my mother from the beginning."

"So you killed her?!" Ohgi accused.

Lelouch simply looked the man in the eyes. "Yes." He lied. He may be tired of lying, but only to protect himself, not his friends. "But not for vengeance, or anger. She's been alive for over five hundred years, and all she wanted to do was die. So I gave her wish, and she gladly accepted it."

Ohgi frowned, feeling slightly skeptical of the man's explanation, but accepted it. He had other questions anyway. Such as: "Why did you create Batman?"

Lelouch seemed to ponder over the reason before saying one word: "Redemption."

Ohgi scoffed at the word. "It's true," Lelouch stated. "I became Batman to redeem myself of my past crimes and to truly be the kind of hero I made Zero out to be. Also to try and create a more gentle world for Nunnally in the process."

"Why didn't you just decide to die?!" Ohgi asked, sarcastic.

"I did," Lelouch said simply and emotionless. Ohgi froze. "I decided to die. But I was planning on viewing happier memories first before I did. I grabbed a vile of Refrain and prepared to inject myself when I saw a married couple being mugged. I looked around to see if anyone would help, so I could be left alone and succumb to my despair. But no one came, it was only me, and I couldn't let those people die. So I charged the man and I was able to subdue him, barely."

"And then I felt something inside me emerge," Lelouch said with a smile on his face, remembering the feeling well when he found his purpose again. "I felt as if this was what I was supposed to do. That I had to find another way to make up for the sins I've made as my time as Zero. So after a revelation in the Shinjuku ghetto, I adopted the guise of a bat to fight crime and protect all those in need, and hunt down the corrupt."

"Why a bat though?" Ohgi asked, confused as to why he would choose that kind of animal to imitate.

Lelouch thought back to the reason why. "When I was still living in Aries Villa," Lelouch began, thinking back to when he met his greatest fear and his new identity, "I was playing hide and seek with some of my siblings. It was Cornelia's turn to seek, I chose to hide behind a bush. Little did I know, there was an abandoned well behind that bush. I took a couple of steps back but the ground beneath my feet broke and I fell into the well. Nunnally and Euphie heard me fall and went to go get the servants and mother. I was able to get my bearings enough to hear a noise coming from a hole in the well. I took a closer look, and suddenly, an immeasurable number of bats emerged."

Lelouch's eyes narrowed slightly as he recalled the experience. "I haven't been scared much in my life, even at a young age. But that moment was when I first experienced true fear. My entire body trembled unlike it ever had before. I thought I was gonna die in that well!" His voice was shaking along with his body. "I don't know how much time passed, could have been minutes, could have been hours, but finally, one of the guards was able to repel down and pull me out. The event scarred me for life, I developed a fear of bats. However, with all that's happened in my life I forgot about my phobia. But after I encountered a bat in Shinjuku, I had the inspiration to use my childhood monster to prey on those who do injustice."

Ohgi frowned, not believing the boy's words. "So let me get this straight:" Ohgi asked for clarification, "You used an animal that terrified you as a child, as a way to put fear into criminals and scumbags?"

Lelouch chuckled slightly. "Well it works doesn't it?" He asked rhetorically.

"I guess it does," Ohgi muttered under his breath, feeling sick in his stomach that he was agreeing with the boy. "Still, why you chose a bat doesn't change the reason that you were trying to get revenge on Schneizal for what he did to you!"

"Your right, it doesn't." Lelouch agreed. "But I'm not doing this for revenge, not anymore. I'm done risking people's lives for the sake of my vendettas. If anyone is going to risk their lives for my mission, it's gonna be me!"

"And what about Suzaku?" Ohgi countered. "You used your Geass on him, he could have been killed for treason. But all you cared about was having a spy so you could steal all his secrets!"

Lelouch gave off the look of someone who couldn't care less. "He betrayed me!" He shot out in false anger. "He dragged me to my father and gave me away as a gift to get a promotion! He betrayed my trust when I went begging, truly begging for help, and gave me and my identity to Schneizel!"

He then gave out a fake sinister laugh. "So I figured if he was gonna use me for his accession, why not do the same!" Lelouch said in a voice that sounded pure evil, but he was doing the best he could to fake it. "I only let him go so that he could live because that fool always wanted to die, so I made sure he couldn't die."

He gained the reaction he hoped for when Ohgi grabbed him by the neck and began to strangle him. "You piece of-" he growled as he tightened his hands around the boy's neck. Lelouch made no move to stop him. And he honestly didn't want to. Maybe it was finally time for him to die for his mistakes.

However, Ohgi finally released his hold on the boy, causing him to slump to the floor and fell on his side, gasping for air. Ohgi stood tall, hands shaking with anger. One look in his eyes could tell Lelouch the whole story. He wanted to kill him. He wanted to kill him. But he didn't.

"The world will find out what kind of con man you are." Ohgi declared as he made his way to the exit. "And then you'll die."

He opened the door when Lelouch called back to him. "I meant what I said on the roof," Lelouch began, "don't trust Schneizel. He's a master manipulator who sees absolutely no value in people and so long as he accomplishes his goals he doesn't care."

Ohgi merely scoffed. "That rich coming from you." He spat as he made his way out of the cell, leaving the exiled prince turned masked vigilante alone with his demons.

* * *

"Dang..." Tamaki spoke out loud, as he and the rest of the Black Knights high command just witness the exchange between their former and new commanders. "I know he's a piece of crap, but it's hard not to feel sorry for the kid. I mean, if it were me, I'd definitely snap under all that pressure as he did."

"Are you actually taking pity on that con man!?" Chiba roared toward the redhead. "He used us for his own selfish gain to ascended to the throne of that blasted country! Viewed us as nothing but pawns on a chessboard! And you think he deserves sympathy!"

Tamaki held his hands up in defense of the accusation the woman was giving him. "I never said any of that!" He defended. "I'm only saying that the kid's been through more crap than possibly any of us, and he hasn't killed himself or taken Refrain. That's kind of inspiring, sort of."

"He could also be lying," Tohdoh commented as he watched the boy that was still sitting in his cell. "He could be telling us all this so that we would take sympathy on him and let him go. If it is then he is a fool for thinking that we would let him go!" Others nodded in agreement with the Miracle Worker's statement.

"He didn't lie." A new voice chimed in. The others turned to the source of the statement. The owner was Cornelia Li Britannia, second princess of Britannia, and older sister to Euphemia li Britannia, the massacre Princess, or in actuality the girl that Lelouch used his Geass to kill the Japanese.

"What?! You believe the words coming out of his mouth!?" Chiba asked disbelief filled her features as the second princess made her statement.

"No." Cornelia simply stated. "I don't believe he was honest about what happened with Euphemia. But his fear of bats, that was the truth." Cornelia's mind went back to that day in the garden where Lelouch first experienced true terror.

"So he is afraid of bats." Tamaki voiced out, disbelief filling his features. "Dang." He muttered as he scratched his head in disbelief. "Who would have thought a man like him was afraid of a flying rodent."

"Well, wouldn't you be scarred for life if a hundred bats surrounded you in well with no way to get out when you were a child?" Tohdoh asked rhetorically. This caused Tamaki to fold his arms and mutter under his breath.

Kallen, who had been silent during the entire exchange just stared at the screen that showed the boy that had been on her mind constantly for the past five months. There he was, he wasn't going anywhere, it was the perfect time to talk to him. And she was standing here doing nothing.

She wondered why she hadn't run down there and demanded the answers that she wanted for so long now. Maybe she just believed he would lie to her again? Maybe she was afraid of what his answer would be? After all, what would she do if her feelings for him were, in fact, a lie?

As Batman, he saved her mother and her life. And like Batman, he apologized for hurting her and said he was glad she was alive. But could all that have been a lie just do that she would doubt what others say about him. He may still see her as a pawn.

Regardless, Kallen knew she wouldn't be getting any of her answers to her with everyone else. So, with everyone distracted with the conversation, she made her way out of the room and down the hall to the prison cell.

The consequences of what he would say could be felt with afterward. She was tired of waiting.

* * *

"So that is what happened?" Schneizal asked Suzaku after he was recounted a false story of when he was under Lelouch's Geass. "After you helped him destroy the Emperor, he placed you under his Geass and you had no recreation of the time that has passed these past months?"

"That is correct Your Highness," Suzaku responded as he bowed to the Second Prince of Britannia. "I tried to fight it, but the power of Geass is absolute so I was unable to break free of its power." He then kneeled before the Prince, acting as if he was begging for forgiveness. "Forgive me for any trouble or problems I may have given you Your Highness."

Schneizal merely smiled as he rose from his throne. "Rise Sir Kururughi," He ordered the Japanese youth. "Those actions were not your own. So you cannot be put to blame for the actions of my brother. Though I do believe that it would be best for you to have time for yourself. Henceforth, I Prince Schneizal relieve you of your duties for the time being. You deserve a break from all this."

Suzaku gave his best false smile as he bowed before him. "I am grateful Your Highness," Suzaku began as he rose to face the Second Prince, "but I must decline this generous offer."

"What?!" Gino cried in disbelief as from the back of the throne room. "You finally get a day off, and you decline it?! Are you sure your still not mind-controlled?"

Kanon frowned slightly at the knight's decline of the offer. "I must agree with Sir Weinberg's statement, minus the mind-control. Why is it that you don't seek a reprieve from your time under an ordeal?"

"I seek to make up for the time I lost in service of the Empire due to Lelouch's actions," Suzaku explained. "I want to make sure I can make up for the sins which Lelouch has committed."

Schneizal sat back in his throne, a thoughtful, studying look on his face as he stared at the young boy. Suzaku hoped he would be able to fool him, but Schneizal was better at reading people than Lelouch ever was.

Finally, Schneizal straightened up in his throne, donning a small smile on his face. "Very well," he responded, "Your request is accepted! You may resume your duties as the Knight of Seven and serve Britannia with great honor."

Suzaku bowed before the Prince. "I thank you, Your Highness!" He responded, with false thanks in his voice. He then turned and walked to the exit of the throne room with Gino following behind him.

However, before he left, he turned back to the throne and asked Schneizal, "What will happen to Lelouch?"

A tense silence filled the room for a moment before Schneizal responded with, "He will be publicly executed within the next hour, I have guards already on their way to retrieve him."

"An execution?" Suzaku asked with disbelief on his features, the mask he built up shaking slightly.

Schneizal raised his eyebrow in suspicion, "Do you have a problem with that Sir Kururughi?"

After a brief moment of silence, Suzaku responded. "No. I just think that execution is too merciful for someone like him."

Schneizal simply laughed at that statement. "You are correct Kururughi," Schenizal responded with a smile on his face. "But since he did kill the previous Emperor, which was our original intention, and that he is my brother, I will let him die painlessly."

"Very well, Your Highness," Suzaku said as he turned and left the room.

Once the door closed, Schneizal frowned.

Noticing this, Kanon asked, "Do you believe he is lying?"

Schneizal just continued to stare at the door before he responded, "Yes. But lying about what exactly?"

"What about the special projects?" Kanon asked. "Where did you move them?"

Schneizal closed his eyes as he gave a 'hmph' and smiled. "Our benefactor took possession of all of the data and test physical components after Kururughi broke into the lab." He then opened his eyes back up. "However he hasn't gained access to project G. That one was moved onto the Damocles under my orders."

After a moment of silence, Kanon then asked, "What do you plan to do about the Batman? Now that we know the truth, will we reveal it to the world?"

"No," Schneizal answered. "If we do that, then the people will make a martyr after Lelouch and rise against me. We can have one of our soldiers continue to act as Batman and eliminate any threat to our rule under the guise that it is justice."

Kanon smiled at his liege's plan.

Schneizal then rose from his throne and began to walk towards the exit. "We can discuss the details of the plan later Kanon. Right now, we have an execution for my dear brother to plan."

* * *

"I still can't believe you refused to take a day off?!" Gino cried as he and Suzaku walked down the hallway of the Viceroy Palace to nowhere in particular. "I mean, we could have used that time to go to someplace and have some fun!"

Suzaku gave a small laugh to Gino's enthusiasm, yet also his stupidity. "I think you and I have very different definitions of fun." He told the Knight of Three.

"Yeah!" Gino responded as he threw his hands behind his head. "One involves actual fun, while the other involves nonstop work." Suzaku merely laughed.

Then he felt a buzzing come from his pocket. He pulled out his phone and looked to who was calling him and his eyes widen slightly.

"Hey, Gino!" He called, stopping in his tracks. "I have to take this. Go on without me and I'll catch up." Gino nodded and made his way down the hall as he went to find a secluded spot to answer the call.

When he did, he pressed accept and lifted the phone to his ear. "Milly is that you?"

"_That's it?!" _The former Ashford Student Council President began sarcastically. "_No 'Hey Milly!' or 'How are you doing?' or anything? I am offended by you Sir Kururughi!"_

Suzaku merely laughed before becoming serious again. "Did you watch the footage I sent you?" He asked.

"_I did." _She answered her previous sarcasm now gone from her voice. "_And you weren't lying when you told me you have a story. If this thing gets out, the entire Empire could fall apart, or something like that could happen." _

"Yeah," Suzaku said as he began to walk out from his shadowy corner. "Which is why you need to keep it hidden and off the air until me and Lelouch give the signal."

"_Wait! What signal?!" _Milly asked.

"You'll know," Suzaku said, smirking. "I have to go now. Get ready to send that broadcast when you see the signal." He then hung up the hone and left to go get ready for the upcoming execution.

* * *

When the door opened again, Lelouch expected someone like Cornelia, Tohdoh, or someone else to come in here and condemn him for his sins, and beat the crap out of him. But when he saw the face of his visitor, his mouth opened wide at the angelic face that had visited the demon.

"Hi, Lelouch," Kallen spoke softly as she made her way further into the cell. After the incident with Ohgi, the guards moved Lelouch to a different cell, one where the two were separated by a glass wall that could only be opened with the Royal passcode.

"Hello Kallen," Lelouch responded, his face slightly betraying the excitement he had to see her again, even though it was under the worst possible circumstances.

"How are you?" Kallen asked, attempting to make a brief conversation.

"Oh just dandy!" Lelouch replied sarcastically. "Just having to be reminded of my sins and mistakes by the man who organized the betray of the Black Knights against me, and sitting here waiting to be publically executed by my brother."

Despite the dark humor in that statement, Kallen couldn't help but laugh. And Lelouch couldn't help but join in on the laughter. After a moment of laughing, the room again filled with silence. Lelouch looked down, not meeting her gaze, and she with him.

"I heard what you went through when Ohgi came here to talk with you," Kallen said, still without looking at him. "And I just want to say that I'm sorry that you went through all that, and-"

"Don't." His icy tone cut her off.

"Wh-what?" Kallen asked, confused as to the boy's word.

"Don't take pity on me." He clarified in a less icy tone. "I don't want it, nor do I deserve it. Especially your pity. And if all you came here to do is take pity on me in my final moments, then I-"

"No! No!" Kallen yelled, desperate to make sure he didn't misunderstand her intention for coming here. "I'm not here for that! Not at all! I was just letting you know that I heard what you and Ohgi were talking about and I said the wrong thing! I'm sorry!"

After another moment of tense silence, Lelouch responded. "Okay," he said simply, "Sorry for misunderstanding and getting icy with you. Go on, you can talk about your reasons for being here."

Silence again filled the chamber as Kallen struggled with finding the right words to say.

Finally, she spoke, "I wanted to say thank you for saving both me and my mother those times as Batman. If it wasn't for you, me and her would have been…"

"You don't have to thank me," Lelouch told her. "I didn't do this for gratitude. If anything you should be blaming me for what to you and your mother." She the confusion on Kallen's face, Lelouch explained. "Kane kidnapped her as a way to get me to come so he could get revenge. And the Children of Zero was a cult dedicated to the image of Zero that I gave. So I was the one who got you into that mess. So don't thank me for getting you both in danger."

Kallen simply smiled. Typical Lelouch, always taking the blame so that one wouldn't feel bad about themselves. Probably another reason why she fell for him.

"Still you saved me and my mom." She reminded him, pushing her feelings out her mind for a brief moment. "She's all I have left since my brother died, and since my father and step-mother don't care that much about me. So I will always be grateful for what you did."

Lelouch's mouth hung open. He thought she would greet him with a punch to the face and a kick to the royal family jewels. But here she was thanking him for what he did, even though he unintentionally put them in danger.

Finally finding his voice again, he could say, "You're welcome, Kallen." He paused for a brief moment before he asked, "Is that all you wanted to talk about?"

Kallen began twirling her fingers in each other as her face grew a slight red color. That was the big question, wasn't it? She got through the ice breaker and the excuse. Now was for the real reason why she was here.

"Lelouch," she began, her voice was struggling to get the words out, "After everything we've been through, what do I mean to you?! On the day you left the Ikaruga you said 'Kallen, you have to live.' Then when you saved my mother you told her to tell me that you were sorry. Then when you saved me you said "I'm glad you're alive Kallen.' So please just answer me! I don't care if I mean nothing to you I just don't want to be left in the dark anymore!"

Lelouch's mouth and eyes widen slightly at Kallen's question. She wasn't being overdramatic about any of it. She was serious. He could tell from her trembling voice, her body shaking uncontrollably, and her desperate pleading eyes.

She wanted to know.

But could Lelouch tell her? He wants to, boy does he want to, but was it worth it? He hoped when he met her again he could finally be honest with her and tell her how he feels. But here, right now, when he was facing death. No. He couldn't tell her, because if he did, she would risk her life to save him, or be branded as a traitor and be executed along with him. And possibly the worst one of all, was that she would kill herself to be with him again. And he could never allow that.

But he also couldn't lie to her anymore. He was sick of lying to her because he was scared. And he couldn't be silent to her either. Because he knew that it would break her, and he wasn't going to allow anyone to break her, least of all him.

But what could he say? What could he say to make sure she knew what he felt without having her do something that would put her in harm's way?

"I see." Came Kallen's voice. Her tone sounded like a defeated person who just lost their most important fight. He looked up to see that same classification in her figure and her eyes.

His eyes widened in fear as she turned to the exit. He was losing her! He was losing another person because of his selfishness. '_Never again!' _He told himself as she gripped the handle of the door.

"Kallen! Wait!" He called after her before he realized what he said.

She froze. Her hand let go of the door handle instantly. She straightened out of a slump she didn't know she had. She then whipped her whole body around to face him. Her eyes were now glistening with faint signs of hope.

Lelouch opened his mouth to speak but only unintelligible words came out. Just grumbles and stuttering. He couldn't form a single word as his mind was spinning in chaos.

"I-I-" He tried but still no sentence came out. Finally taking a deep breath to calm his nerves and mind, he opened his mouth again. "I-"

The door opened from the outside.

Two royal guards entered the room and moved their way past Kallen. They were wearing masks so Lelouch couldn't use his Geass on them, yet it was unnecessary since he didn't have it anymore, but they didn't know that. Lelouch's face fell at the sight of them. He missed his chance, his last chance. '_Coward!' _He said to himself.

"Wh-what's going on?!" Kallen asked. Her heart rate calmed down slightly after the rush it had when Lelouch called her.

"The prison is being escorted to the throne room for execution." One guard answered as his companion moved to open the glass barrier and retrieve the said prisoner.

"Already?!" Kallen cried as Lelouch was pulled out of the cell and brought into the hallway.

"You got a problem with that?" The guard warned as he stood over the girl. '_Yes' _was what went through her mind and what she wanted to say. She was about to voice it when someone interrupted her.

"No," Lelouch answered weakly, gaining the attention of the guards and Kallen, "She was just wanting to give me a beating for many of the crimes I've committed like everyone else."

"Well is that it." The guard holding Lelouch said. Though no one could see his face, they were sure he was smirking beneath his mask. He then moved Lelouch around in a way that was if he was presenting the exiled prince to Kallen. "Then, by all means, don't let us stop you."

Kallen stares at Lelouch in slight shock. He lied again, to protect her, and was willing to take a fierce beating just so she wouldn't be suspected of anything.

So she did. And boy did she beat the living daylights out of him! She had to admit, that it felt _really_ good to get it out of her system. The guards then laughed together after she was done with him.

"Ha! Sucks to be you kid!" The guard laughed as he continued to drag Lelouch out of the room.

"Yeah, I know," Lelouch said, his tone sounded more defeat than Kallen's was a moment ago.

As the guards began to drag Lelouch down the hall to the throne room, Lelouch passed by Kallen. Knowing this would most likely be the last he sees of her he whispers so that only she can hear.

"So this is farewell, Kallen."

**A/N: So I saw somewhere that it was International fanwork day today, so I thought I would post this chapter in honor of that day. And sorry if the action has been lacking in the past chapters, don't worry, I got some big action coming up next chapter so be prepared.**

**Although if I fail to live up to my hype, forgive me. Also, I know some of my characters may seem a little OOC, but this is my story and I get to decide how the characters are made.**

**Next update, Lelouch faces judgment for his actions and receives unexpected help from the last person he expected. Meanwhile, Schneizel reveals his trump card against all those who oppose him.**


	8. Back-to-Back

**A/N: I don't own Code Geass or Batman Beyond. They are awesome works that are not owned by me. **

**Also, I like to make the note that this will be the last chapter I will post for a while. I'll explain at the end of the chapter. So enjoy this one.**

Rivalz walked through the halls of Ashford over to the student council room to watch some broadcast made by the Second Prince.

He heard rumors of what it was going to be about: the Britannian military found the culprit behind the Emperor's disappearance, a new Emperor was gonna be decided, a new area was conquered, another prince died. And so on.

Though Rivalz never really cared about much of that recently. What was on his mind was where all his friends were now.

Milly had graduated and taken a job as a reporter, he'd never miss a chance to ever see her on television. She was always energetic and excited to get the scoop on some big scandal, and that made her perfect for the gig.

Shirley had died months ago. The poor girl committed suicide. At least that's what the reports say, but he couldn't believe it.

Nina was also missing. Ever since that whole explosion months ago, she'd gone off the grid and he hasn't heard of her since.

Last he heard, Suzaku was still in the military being the knight of seven. So it must keep the guy busy all the time to keep the Empire safe.

Kallen was most likely still in the Black Knights, or dead. He was still shocked beyond belief to figure out that the sickly Kallen Stadtfeld was a member of a military organization.

He hadn't heard anything about Rolo either, he tried his cell a couple of times but he wouldn't answer. He began to get worried.

But the most he was worried about was Lelouch. Last he heard from him was after the explosion, when he said he wouldn't be able to set off fireworks with everyone else. That had caused him to grow concerned that Lelouch was in some kind of trouble. He also knew that Shirley's death hit him the hardest. Though he never returned Shirley's feelings, he could tell Lelouch cared a lot about her. So Lelouch must be somewhere, hurting because of her death.

He just wished he could talk to him and make sure he was alright. But every call he ever made got directed to voicemail. He could only pray that Lelouch wasn't in any deep trouble.

As he entered the council room, a flood of old memories came to his mind. How Milly would launch insane plans and schemes for her amusement. How he and Lelouch would sneak off to a high stakes gambling match. And how Shirley would try to stop them. Those were happier memories of a happier time.

Times where the only thing they had to worry about was how to survive Milly's plans for everyone. Oh, how he honestly missed those days. But they were in the past, the one place where a man can never go.

As he turned on the TV and sat down at the council room's table, he wondered what kind of announcement the Empire would give today. He hoped it was something that would resolve all these issues so that they could return to the good old days.

When the broadcast began he was surprised with what he saw.

The background was that of the Viceroy office of the new palace, which was similar to the one that was in the Britannian throne room back at the palace in the homeland. Which wasn't surprising considering this is royalty.

What was surprising was that the top staff of the Black Knights was standing beside Prince Schneizel. Which was odd considering that the army had lost their leader to him a few months ago.

So why were they standing with the second prince? Did they agree over these past months? It would explain why there haven't been any large battles since that explosion. Or was It something else.

After a moment, the second prince stepped forward and began his address.

_"Citizens of the Holy Britannian Empire, I come to all today to give you great news. As of last night, we have discovered the one who has taken our glorious Emperor from us! We have him in custody and bring him forth to face execution! Bring him in."_

On the television, the royal guards began to haul in a figure dressed in prisoner grabs. He held his face down, obscuring his features until a royal guard lifted his head for the cameras, and the whole world, to see.

When he got a good look at his face, Rivalz shot up in his seat and screamed at the top of his lungs.

**"WWWWWHHHHHHHAAAAAAAATTTTTTT?!"**

* * *

_(Happening at the same time)_

Though the story of the year was playing on the TV in front of her, Milly could not focus on it as she stared at her phone. Her thoughts were on what Suzaku said moments before the broadcast began.

What did he have planned? Why hadn't he told Milly to report what she saw to the world? Why did he want her to wait for this mysterious signal from Lelouch and Suzaku?

Speaking of Lelouch: What was he up to? She hadn't heard from him in months. And Suzaku said that he and Lelouch had figured this out together. What on earth were those two up to?

She put those thoughts aside as she turned her head to the screen when she heard one of her fellow reporters gasped…

And she did so when she saw who it was they were dragging.

* * *

_(At the same time)_

If there was one word, to sum up, what Jerimaih Gottwald was, it was loyal. That's the answer you would get if you asked someone else. If you asked him directly, he would say failure.

Because in his mind, that's all he was. An absolute failure.

He failed to protect his Empress Marianne nearly a decade ago. He failed to uphold his duties of a purest in his citizens' eyes. And most recently, he failed in his duty to protect both prince Lelouch and princess Nunnally. The princess died in the explosion by that warhead months ago and her brother followed suit. He demanded to see the body but the Black Knights refused all his attempts.

He had considered leaving them, but where would he go? What place does the world have with a disgraced purest and cyborg failure? So he stayed, yet he hadn't done much work.

When he saw the broadcast, he was shocked that the high command of his Highness' army was in league with his enemy brother. But what shocked him, even more, was the person the guards were dragging.

* * *

"Lelouch vi Britannia!" Schneizel announced. "The eleventh prince of Britannia and the seventeenth in line for the throne murdered our glorious Emperor!"

As soon as he made his statement, the Nobility burst into conversation. For all they knew, Lelouch vi Britannia died years ago during Britannia's invasion of Japan. Yet here he stood, alive, and accused of murdering His Majesty.

"For the past decade," Schneizel continued, despite the murmurings, "My brother has been in hiding from Britannia, planning his revenge to retake the throne. His claim to the throne was removed and he was stripped of his royalty. He has murdered our Emperor in an attempt to take the throne for himself. And he has even attempted to kill me, his brother, to remove any opposition he may have."

* * *

At this, the Britannians around the world exploded in outrage.

This boy, this commoner blood, believed he could take the throne of Britannia through tactics like that! Though that is how most people do take the throne, the public just doesn't realize it.

* * *

"But I cannot take all the credit for capturing this upserper." Schneizel declared, shocking those present. He then gestured with his hand toward the Black Knights commanders behind him.

"That goes to the members of the Black Knights who gave me knowledge and warning of my brother's survival and goal." At that, Ohgi stepped forward. Schneizel held out his hand and Ohgi grasped it in a firm handshake. The action caused the world to turn to shock again.

"Due to the Black Knights deed," Schneizel began as he released Ohgi's grip as the Japanese man went back to where he was standing, "I have decided to enter into a ceasefire with them as we negotiate how best to repay then for their actions."

Though that would be true, all this e present in the broadcast already knew what the Black Knights were getting from this deal. Japan.

"But first things first," Schneizel said as he looked down upon his brother who was bound in a straight jacket. The features on Lelouch's face were emotionless, he was neither angry, happy, sad, scared, etc.

His soul though was that of defeat. He was careless, arrogant, and selfish. He thought that if he put his own life on the line from here on, then he could atone for his crimes. But instead, he was gonna die at the hands of his brother who he could never beat. He put his ego over the reality of the fact that he couldn't take Schneizel down alone.

"We must deal with this attempted upserper," Schneizel said, grinning at the state of his brother. He then turned toward the camera, and asked: "What do you say Britannia?"

* * *

The response he got from most of the populace was roars of agreement that the traitor should be killed. Though some were of mercy, mainly the ones at Ashford, and a certain cyborg soldier.

**"DEATH TO THE TRAITOR!"**

* * *

**"DEATH TO THE TRAITOR! DEATH TO THE MURDERER OF OUR GLORIOUS EMPEROR!" **

Came the cries of all the nobles in the Viceroy Palace throne room.

Smiling, Schneizel declared, "Very well! Death to the traitor!"

At those words, the royal guards slammed Lelouch on the ground and held him there. The executioner got into place and held his blade high to smote off the head of the exiled prince.

While this was happening, Kallen stood by the hallway where the guards emerged with Lelouch moments earlier. Her heart and mind were in a hurricane of chaos.

When she went to see him, she begged for an answer, any answer to the question that plagued her for months. But he remained silent, and Kallen took that as a sign that she truly was nothing but a pawn to him.

But when she was about to leave, he called out to her. His voice was pleading as if begging her not to leave him, and his eyes mirrored the same want and emotions that she held. He looked as if he wanted to say more, but fate denied him as the guards took him to where he is now.

She needed to know, no matter the consequences that would befall her if she spoke up now. She needed her answer before the only one who could give them was taken from this earth.

She was about to call out when someone beat her to the punch.

**"STOP!"**

The whole populace of the throne room and the cameras turned to the source of the interruption. And those that knew who the source was opened their mouths in confusion.

There, standing in the middle of the doorway, wearing the same clothes he had when he served under his princess as her knight, was Suzaku Kururugi.

Those on the throne room held looks of confusion at his interruption. Schneizel merely frowned in annoyance. But the one that blew all the looks away was the face Lelouch held. His usually calm, and emotionless mask was broken, and in its place was the face of a man who was completely taken off guard. His eyes were wide, and his mouth was hung wide open.

"May I ask, what is the meaning of this interruption Sir Kururugi?" Schneizel voiced out everyone's thoughts. Though if one looked closely, they could see that the Second Prince's eyebrows were irked in a way that showed complete irritation.

Suzaku merely stood there for a few moments, refusing to answer. Getting irritated by the Japanese Knight's silence, Schneizel repeated. "What are you doing?" his tone was more grim than last.

Finally, Suzaku responded, "I wish to be the one to kill the traitor myself." This caused another round of shocked gasps in the audience watching the broadcast.

Schneizel then gave the boy a puzzled look. "Explain?" He demanded.

Suzaku straightened himself as he began. "I was personally associated with this boy for the past 10 years," He explained, "such that I had the chance to end this threat life at any point in time but I hesitated and it caused the Emperor to die by his hands. Therefore I wish to make up for that mistake by killing him here now."

Schneizel wanted to say no, yet he couldn't, and he knew why. The fact that Kururugi was dressed in the uniform he wore when he served Euphemia meant that he was doing this for revenge. Smiling at how funny fate is, Schneizel replied, "Very well, do as you please."

The executioner moved out of the way as Suzaku came up and stood over Lelouch. Lelouch for his part was shocked, then dipped his head down in despair. If he was gonna die, at least it was by the hands of a friend.

Suzaku pulled out his sword and raised it high above his head. For a long moment, complete silence enveloped the whole room. So much that you could hear the tense breathing from Suzaku.

"Lelouch vi Britannia," the Knight began, grip tightening around his handle, "By the authority and judgment I have as a Knight of Britannia, I sentence you…"

What he said next stopped the world in its tracks.

**"TO LIVE!"**

Lelouch's eyes snapped open when he heard the word as he also felt the bonds holding him in his straight jacket be cut loose. What just happened?!

Looking up he saw Suzaku had delivered a spin kick to the executioner's face, knocking him down. He then slashed with his sword at the two holding them down, taking their lives. All the while, Lelouch stared in awe of his friend's action.

The two's eyes met. "What are you doing sitting there looking like that for?!" Suzaku called his friend, snapping him out of his daze. "Stand up and help me fight our way out of this!" Lelouch's eyes widened even more.

Suzaku Kururugi, the Japanese who believed he could change everything if he worked within the system. Had committed terrible acts of betrayal against his country and friends to advance in the system. Had just thrown it all away to save the life of the man who took the woman he loved away from him. For one of the rare times in his life, Lelouch was beyond stunned.

"You blasted traitor!" A royal guard shouted as he charged toward Suzaku with a lance. Lelouch wasn't sure he deserved a friend like Suzaku, but he was dang sure he was gonna lose him by doing nothing. Acting fast, he swept his leg under the guard, gripped his staff, then knocked him out with a stomp to his face.

Straightening himself up and kicking off the sharp end of the lance, he swung the staff, striking the next guard in the face. Then he used the stick to poke and strike multiple parts of the guard's body. When he knocked the guard away, he turned toward Suzaku.

The Japanese knight was in a battle of strength with the executioner he knocked down earlier. However, the larger man knocked the sword from Suzaku's grasp and raised his blade.

"Suzaku!" Lelouch called as he threw the staff toward his friend. The boy caught the weapon and swung the end of it up in the blink of an eye in the crown jewels of the man in front of him.

Lelouch and those present and watching cringed slightly at the reaction of the man. Suzaku then delivered another spin kick that was able to knock the man down again.

The two friends smiled at each other. Their short moment was ruined when the more guards came in to surround the two. Quickly moving so they were back-to-back, the two prepared to fight their way out of this.

When the guards finished gathering, Suzaku gave a menacing smirk. "You know Lelouch, I think they want more?"

Lelouch could only respond with a devious smirk of his own. "Well then Suzaku, let's give it to them."

As the guards charged, Suzaku handed Lelouch the wooden staff. Taking the weapon, Lelouch spun in a 360-degree angle, smacking the faces of all the charging guards. The two then sprung into action.

* * *

To those who didn't know Lelouch personally, they would only be amazed that a teenager was able to stand up to the royal guards. To those that knew Lelouch as the boy who couldn't even outrun a woman in a dress…

Well… Let's just say their reaction was interesting, to say the least.

But no one's reaction came close to the face Rivalz held on his face. The teen's jaw had sunken, threw the earth, came out of the other side, and kept going to and past Pluto.

His mind had gone a total blank. Lelouch was his best friend, and he knew he was smart, and that he had a taste of nobility, that much he could tell by the way he walked and talked. But he never would have guessed that he was an exiled prince!

But there was another reason why he was shocked. One that made his mind be absolutely space of white.

**"SINCE WHEN COULD LELOUCH FIGHT LIKE THAT?!"** Rivalz howled.

* * *

The staff Lelouch was using broke as he swung it viciously hard against a guard's face. It briefly reminded him of when he smashed the brick in the face of the Britannian man he saved the McGinnis family. Ah, memories.

As he looked around the number of Royal guards he and Suzaku took down, he noticed that one was still standing. Looking over to Suzaku, a knowing look in his green eyes, he nodded.

Getting into position, Suzaku charged Lelouch at full speed. Then before they collided, they each threw their right elbows into each other. Using the momentum from the speed, Lelouch used his newly gained body muscle to throw Suzaku into the air into the direction of the guard.

Now in midair, Suzaku delivered his signature spin kick toward the face of the last guard standing, knocking him down. Standing straight up again, the former Honorary Britannian knight gazed at the exiled prince of Britannia. The two friends smiled at each other.

However, their moment was ruined when the sound of clapping and guns cocking filled the room. Quickly moving back to back, the two then found themselves surrounded by all the Black Knights present, minus Kallen, holding automatic firearms. And all of them were pointed towards the two of them.

The clapping came from none other than the white Prince of Britannia himself. "A wonderful display of how you've grown and improved Lelouch, very impressive. However, I'm afraid that your demonstration ends now. As well as your interference as well: former knight of Seven."

The odds weren't looking pretty. At most, between the two of them, they could take out at least over half the Black Knights before one of the bullets hit both of them. So they needed an escape route and fast.

"Got any bright ideas?" Lelouch whispered to the friend that stood behind him, back-to-back.

"No," Suzaku said bluntly, back to his friend, "Isn't it you who usually comes up with the brilliant plans for getting out of tricky situations?"

Lelouch sighed as the guns leveled on them.

**"READY!" **Tohdoh ordered the Knights present, they did so.

Suzaku then reached behind his knight coat and pulled something out. "But I do have this." Lelouch took a glance and his eyes widened.

His utility belt! He looked up to Suzaku in shock, who just smirked. _'Suzaku you naive genius!'_ Lelouch thought as he subtly took the belt and reached inside for the exact thing he needed.

**"AIM!" **Lelouch gripped the object tight in his hands.

"Close your eyes!" Lelouch ordered. Suzaku did so.

**"FI-" **Tohdoh didn't get to finish as in the blink of an eye, Lelouch threw down the object from his belt. And immediately, a bright blinding light emerged where the two were now standing. Everyone then heard the faint sound of a grapple firing, and a line being retracted.

When the blinding light finally ceased, everyone saw that the duo vanished.

"Spread out!" Ohgi ordered. "Find the fugitives before they escape the palace!"

"Lookdown the entire palace!" Schneizel ordered. "Keep anyone from both entering and leaving the palace!"

Suddenly the palaces emergency system went off. The doors entering the throne room suddenly shut, cutting anyone off from leaving or entering. At first, the Knights believed this to be part of the lockdown, however, Schneizel's words made them think otherwise.

"This isn't right!" Schneizel voiced out, catching everyone by surprise. "The lockdown isn't supposed to extend to the throne room in this situation! Kanon, what's happening?!"

"I- I'm not sure Your Highness?!" Kanon stuttered as he brought up a tablet. "It appears someone has hacked into the security system and activated the lockdown on the throne room and the knight's room. Everywhere else in the palace is accessible, including the Knightmare hanger!"

Schneizel growled in frustration. For once in that boy's time of service, Kururugi had thought of a decent plan instead of just running in like an idiot.

"Hey!" Tamaki suddenly called. "Where's Kallen?!"

* * *

_'__That probably was the signal.'_ Milly thought as the blinding light appeared on the television screen. She was always one for insane plans, but even she had to admit, that was the craziest plan she ever saw anyone do.

And Lelouch, boy oh boy has he changed! He used to not be able to run laps in the gym to save his life, not that he ever attended gym class. But even her in a dress was able to outrun him. And now here he was taking down royal guards.

Pushing the insane actions of Suzaku and the new Lelouch out of her mind, she made her way to a broadcast room.

As she kicked down the door, she ran up to the main man. "Ms. Ashford!" The man asked in surprise. "Please leave the room for a moment! We have a major story-"

"I know!" Milly cut him off. And then she gave her famous smile that meant she was up to something devious. "But have I got a story for you!"

* * *

After making it to the cell block area, Lelouch proceeded to grab the remainder of his suit. The lockdown protocol that they were able to activate, thanks to the little security and Suzaku's former position as a Knight of the Round bought them some time. But not a whole lot of it. They needed to move fast!

Their next stop was the hanger. They encountered resistance as they made their way, but between the two of them, they were able to make quick work of the little annoyances.

Finally, they made it to the large and spacious room. Knightmares of every kind were all around them, mostly the most advanced kinds of frames. But the one they needed was the one and only Lancelot.

Making their way past the metallic giants, they almost made it to the gigantic machine when the sound of gunfire ringed around them.

Quickly moving into cover behind one of the Knightmares legs, Lelouch pulled out a Batarang to use to disarm their obstacle. However, before he could even raise his hand, the shooter called out to them and held a familiar voice.

"Lelouch!" Kallen shouted in the direction of the Knightmares legs. "I know you're back there! Just… Please come out so we can talk! I won't hurt you!"

Lelouch looked over to Suzaku. The latter held a weary-eyed look that told him that they should leave. But Lelouch didn't listen, he needed to talk to Kallen properly, without anyone listening or anything like that. Besides, he wanted to see her anyway.

Lelouch gave off sign language that told him to go and get the Lancelot ready for flight. Suzaku nodded in confirmation and made his way down to the Knightmare, while Lelouch stepped out of the shadows of the leg.

"Take the dang mask off Lelouch!" Kallen ordered as she saw him. She wanted answers, and she wanted them from the real Lelouch. The one without masks, both figuratively and literally.

Allowing her to wish to be granted Lelouch grabbed the top of the cowl and pulled the fabric from his face, revealing a set of violet eyes and smooth white skin. Seeing him do it himself made Kallen even more convinced that Lelouch was Batman.

"Hello, Kallen." He said softly as he smiled. It wasn't one of those false smiles he would give at schools, or those demonic grins when he had a devious idea. But a genuine smile, like the ones he used when he was around Nunnally.

Such was its power and sincerity that Kallen couldn't help but smile herself. "Hey, Lelouch." She replied.

A few moments passed in silence before Lelouch spoke again. "Are you gonna have a conversation with me keep that thing pointing at my head, or are you gonna put it down?" He asked, referring to the gun still in her hand and pointing toward his brain.

"Oh! Uh…" Kallen blushed slightly, embarrassed that she was still holding him at gunpoint. Slowly, she lowered her hands.

"That's better," Lelouch said truthfully. 'Now I don't have to worry about getting my head blown off.' He spoke in his mind but refused to say aloud.

"I want answers, Lelouch!" Kallen ordered, pulling Lelouch from his thoughts. "And I expect you to give them to me!"

Lelouch sighed."Very well," He conceded. He then looked up at the corners of the ceiling and frowned. "But first…"

He then pulled out multiple Batarangs. Kallen brought her pistol up instantly, but Lelouch either didn't notice or care. Aiming, he then threw the bat-shaped objects toward the cameras in the hanger.

"There!" Lelouch said as he turned back to face Kallen, "Now we can talk without interruptions. Ask whatever question you want and I will answer truthfully."

"Is Suzaku really under your Geass?" Kallen asked. She always might have thought that Lelouch put a command on his best friend, but she didn't want to believe that.

"Yes," Lelouch said bluntly, "But it's not what you think. The Geass command I placed on him was to 'live'. He was my best friend, and he was extremely suicidal. So I placed that command on him so he wouldn't get himself killed. But he considers that command a curse more than anything."

"So that's it?" Kallen asked disbelief filled her voice and face.

"Yes, his thoughts and his actions up to this point have been his own. I lied about placing him under my command so that he wouldn't die. I was fine with dying alone, but not him. I would never Geass anyone to follow me, otherwise, I would be no different from my father." His voice turned deadly when he spoke about that. It then softened slightly. "But now that I've lost my Geass that won't be a problem anymore."

"Wh-what?!" Kallen stuttered. Did she just hear that correctly?

"Yes," Lelouch answered her unsaid question. "I've lost my Geass. C.C. destroyed the World of C to prevent another bearer of Geass from trying to do what my parents were doing. As a result, anyone related to the power of Geass lost their powers and their immortality. Including me. See for yourself, I'm not wearing any contacts."

Kallen moved over to him and placed her hands on his smooth face. She then checked his eyes and confirmed that he wasn't blocking his Geass with any contacts. She then became conscious of how close she was to his face, blushed, and backed away.

"You don't believe me?" Lelouch asked with a raised eyebrow. The look in her eyes was all the answer he needed. "I understand. I get it if you don't believe me or trust me anymore. I did all that to myself, so I can't blame you or anyone else for that."

Kallen's eyes widened. Did she just hear that right? Lelouch vi Britannia, was admitting his faults? Under usual circumstances, she would smile deviously and slightly tease him for it. But something stopped her, it was his voice. In his voice, he heard regret and sadness for his actions. Not that he didn't have any of it before, but this was the first time she heard it come from his voice.

Shaking her mind from those thoughts, she focused on the questions she still had for the revolution turned vigilante. "What did you tell me to live on the Ikaruga?" she asked, no begged.

Lelouch sighed. It was time to tell her the truth. "Because I didn't want you to die!" His voice was beginning to break, tears were gathering in his eyes. "I had lost Shirley, the C.C. I knew it was gone, and Nunnally was just taken from me. I couldn't bear it losing one more person! Especially not you!"

Kallen's eyes were sparkling with hope. Could it be? Could it be that she meant something to Lelouch? Something more than just a pawn, a subordinate, a soldier, or even a friend?

"Lelouch," she said softly as she placed a hand over his red bat symbol.

"Kallen," Lelouch said softly as he placed his hand over hers, gently holding it. They smiled at each other. Then, in the corner of Lelouch's eyes, he saw something, and his eyes widened.

**"LOOK OUT!"** He shouted as he pulled Kallen to his side as the gunshot fired and the bullet meant for Kallen's head went into Lelouch's left shoulder! He cursed at the pain as he pulled out a Batarang and threw it at the shooter. The Batarang went into the man's eyes, he howled in pain as he slumped to the floor.

At that, the Black Knights came in, along with the Royal guard and Schneizel. When they saw that Lelouch was holding Kallen, their eyes went venomous.

**"GET AWAY FROM HER YOU DEMON!"** Ohgi shouted as he fired at the masked vigilante, others following suit. Acting quickly, Batman fired his thrusters and flew him and Kallen to safety behind one of the Knightmares!

Suddenly, a row of Knightmares in front of them collapsed! And emerging was the Lancelot with the flight enabling system. "Batman!" Suzaku called from the frames speakers. "All systems are green! Let's get out of here!"

Lelouch looked down at Kallen for a moment before he frowned apologetically. "I'm so sorry!" He whispered as he pulled his mask over his face.

Then, when the firing ceased for a moment, he threw her out of the shielding of the Knightmares legs, while reaching into his belt and grabbing a few circular objects. Then, he threw them toward the group of shooters. The objects exploded in a cloud of smoke, confusing the pursuers.

Batman then pulled out his grapple, aimed it toward the Lancelot, then fired! The line was able to wrap around the Lancelot's right hand. He gave one last, longing, glance toward Kallen, before being pulled up to the Lancelot.

The Lancelot began to maneuver around the soldiers attempting to stop it. When it made its way to the exit, Suzaku activated the float system and took off into the night away from the palace.

Kallen watched as the Lancelot, and the man she loved, flew away from her before she got a solid answer again.

**"KALLEN!"** Ohgi called as he ran up to her and began to frantically look over her for any injuries. He sighed when he saw she had none. "Are you okay!? What did he do to you?!"

"Nothing!" Kallen shouted as she backed away from the man. "He saved me from getting shot in the head by one of the Royal guards!"

"W- what?!" He stuttered in disbelief as he looked over to the second Prince. He then shook his head. "You must have been seeing thin-"

**"NO!"** Kallen shouted. "I know what I saw! A Britannia royal guard pointed a gun towards my head! And Lelouch saved me by taking the bullet in his shoulder! He also saved me when you began to fire recklessly at us! Don't try to see Schneizel in a good light because he promised us Japan!"

Ohgi held disbelief on his features at Kallen's fury and her temper with him. He knew it was never wise to get on the bad side of a woman, he ended up getting shot because he angered a woman.

While this was going on, Tohdoh walked up to the second Prince and his aid. "We need to scramble the Knightmares!" He demanded. "Before they get out of reach!"

"Not to worry," Schneizel stated calmly. The tone of his voice caused the ever stoic Tohdoh to stare at the man in disbelief. "They won't be getting very far in that machine. Kanon," he turned to his ever-faithful aid, "Did the mechanics do as I instructed them?"

"Yes, Your Highness!" Kanon reported as he bowed before his Prince. "When you gave the order out they immediately went to work!"

"Good," Schneizel replied, smiling as he stared back out to the direction when the Lancelot was flying. "Contact the Knights! Let them know they have the okay to pursue the Lancelot. And let them know that they can bring the traitors alive… or dead."

* * *

"Dang it!" Suzaku shouted from the cockpit of the _Lancelot_ as he looked over the systems. How could he have been so careless?!

"What's wrong?" Lelouch called from outside the cockpit on _Lancelot's_ right shoulder.

"The energy filler is nearly dead!" Suzaku reported as he began shutting down all unnecessary systems to conserve as much power. "Schneizel must have known I would be up to something and made sure to at least weaken our escape chances! How could I have not seen this coming!"

"Trust me, I know the feeling well!" Lelouch called, trying to comfort his friend, but also remembering that his plans got ruined all the time because of Suzaku and the Lancelot. "How much time do we have?"

"Should be enough to get us back to the Bat-bunker," Suzaku stated. "But I didn't have enough time to disable the IFF signal in the Lancelot, so we should probably set her down somewhere a distance away and disable it, but we should probably have a backup ride in case we run out of power."

"On it!" Lelouch called as he pressed a button on his belt. A red light began blinking steadily, meaning it received the signal and was on its way now. 'Its top speed is Mach 3.' Lelouch thought, 'We just have to stay out of sight for a little while. Hopefully, it can find us before-'

Lelouch's thoughts were cut off when he heard a familiar sound coming from behind him. Turning around his white eyes widened. "Suzaku hard right!" Lelouch ordered.

He braced himself as Suzaku followed the command, activating the magnetic setting in his boots. Even still, he was almost flung off the Lancelot by its sudden movement as it dodged a Hadron cannon blast. The red streak of energy nearly moved past them and hit the top part of a building being constructed.

Swinging around to the origin of the blast, the duo was met with the sight of the _Mordred_, _Tristan_, and _Galahad_. The personal Knightmare Frames of the Knights of Six, Three, and, One respectively.

Suzaku growled as he gazed at the Knightmare owned by the knight whose position he strives to gain for over a year. How things have changed since that time of naive ideals.

Suddenly, the transmission from said Knightmare connected with the _Lancelot_, and then the face of Bismarck Walsted appeared before him. His eye, once stapled shut was now wide open, and glaring at the former Knight of Seven.

"Suzaku Kururugi," Bismarck growled, "By order of His Highness, Schneizel el Britannia, you are hereby charged with treason, the murder of the Emperor, and in aiding in the escape of a fugitive! Stand down now, and your death will be quick and painful. Refuse, and it will become long and the greatest pain imaginable!"

Suzaku looked over to Lelouch from the Knightmare's camera system. The masked individual gave a knowing grin, meaning he had exactly what the Japanese boy had in mind. Grinning himself, Suzaku turned to face the Knight of One.

"Sorry," he said with a mock apologetic tone, "But I'm gonna have to choose option three." With that, he activated the afterburner on his Knightmare and charged toward the three frames.

Acting quickly, the Knights were able to move out of the way as the _Lancelot_ broke their formation, and flew past them. **"LIVE!"** Suzaku responded as he then fired the VARIS rifle at his former comrades.

The Knights were able to dodge the energy blast with ease. However, the attack kept them from returning fire.

**"FOOLISH CHILD!"** Bismarck shouted as he charged the white frame and began swinging his giant sword. "Do you truly believe you can defeat three rounds that all rank above you?!"

"Only one way to find out!" Suzaku called as he moved away from the swinging slashes of the sword. Truth be told, Suzaku knew he stood no chance against all three of them. Not with the _Lancelot's_ energy levels so low and that he was carrying Lelouch. His best bet was to hold out till Lelouch's ride got here.

When he got a good distance away Suzaku fired of the VARIS Rifle again, however, the large frame was able to weave around the green energy shots before any made contact. Suzaku was able to move the _Lancelot_ out of the way before the giant sword was able to strike him…

Only to barely dodge a streak of black and red energy from destroying the Lancelot and the two of them. He turned in the direction to see the _Mordred_ aiming its large cannon at him. He had an opening to try and take out the _Mordred_ while it recharged. Aiming the VARIS Rifle, the red Knightmare got in his sights…

Only for the _Tristan_ to strike from behind with a kick to the _Lancelot's_ back. The attack jostled Suzaku in his seat and Batman struggled to hang on from the outside. Bringing out his MVS Suzaku was barely able to block Gino's slash as the _Tristan_ pushed against the _Lancelot_.

Now Suzaku knew the reason Gino was made a Knight of the Round!

"Why Suzaku!?" Gino cried as the two's blades continued to struggle against each other. "Why would you throw away everything you've worked so hard for!? Throwing away everything you are!? Why are you betraying us!?"

"I never betrayed Britannia!" Suzaku fired back as he maneuvered the Lancelot out of the blade lock and delivered a spin kick to Gino's frame. "I betrayed my people, my friends, my beliefs, the woman I love! But I'm done betraying who I am in some naive pursuit that things can change from within! What I've come to release is for something to change on the inside, things have to change from the outside!"

After he finished his declaration, his Geass command to 'live' flared in his eyes, and he moved just in time to avoid a slash from the Galahad. He brought his sword down to strike, only for the large blade to knock the smaller sword from the _Lancelot's_ hand.

"Your belief that Britannia can change was naive from the beginning!" Bismark declared as he pursued the retreating Lancelot. "Britannia will continue to be the most powerful nation in the world, continuing to put down all those who seek to rebel against our empire! Because we are superior to all those who are weak!"

Gino cringed slightly when he heard that statement. He was never truly that big of a fan of Britannia's discrimination practices, even though he was a noble. But he still served the Empire with great pride, believing that maybe he could change that view. His ideals were only surpassed by Suzaku.

Until now it seemed.

As the_ Galahad _continued to swing at the Lancelot, the white Knightmare attempted to get a distance to fire the VARIS. When he did he pulled the trigger, but not energy shot came out. Looking over to where the warning lights were going off, he cursed when he saw the _Lancelot's _power levels had just reached critical, meaning that he couldn't work any functions other than flight and movement. And they were already running out fast!

"Lelouch!" Suzaku called to his passenger as he managed to fly above the attacking rounds. "I'm too low on power to keep this up any longer! How long until that ride gets here?!"

"I don't know! I don't have a tracker to tell me how far it is from here!" Lelouch called back as he held onto the white frame for dear life. "Should be here soon, so just hold on for a little longer!"

"Easier said than done," Suzaku muttered to himself as he dodged another attack from the _Tristan_, only to be slammed in the side by the _Galahad_. Before he could he regain his balance the _Mordred _fire and the blast hit the_ Lancelot's_ lower section. The metal legs began to melt in the power hardon beam of the _Mordred._

When the beam ended, the _Lancelot's_ legs were now nothing but a messy hunk of liquid metal, and the Knightmare itself began to descend straight into the face of a building currently under reconstruction. Suzaku tried to pull up on the controls but it was no use, the_ Lancelot_ was now completely out of power.

Suddenly, the hatch to the cockpit opened up, a black claw cut the restraints from Suzaku's seat and ripped him out of the cockpit. He then heard the faint sound of rocket boosters being fired off and saw that he was now rising above the fiery _Lancelot_. He saw as the _Lancelot_ collided into the building and erupt in a burst of flames.

Looking up, he saw Lelouch struggling to hold him as they descended to the top of the building the_ Lancelot _crashed into. The bullet in his shoulder was affecting his control as he and Suzaku landed ungracefully on the top of the building, rolling around for a moment before coming to a stop.

"Remind me to kill Llyod for not installing an ejection system into the Lancelot next time I see him!" Suzaku moaned as he made his way to his feet.

"Will that be before or after he kills you for destroying his masterpiece?" Lelouch huffed as he made his way to his feet. Suzaku merely glared at his friend before he heard the sound of approaching Knightmares.

Quickly making their way to the exit of the roof, they were stopped when the _Mordred_ fired a smaller powered beam to cut them off. The pair then tried to make a beeline for an emergency staircase when a sword from the_ Tristan _landed right in their path. They turned only to be met with the edge of the building.

They both turned around to gaze at the three Knights that held them cornered. If Lelouch's shoulder didn't currently have a bullet in it, he could easily fly both of them in the building to try and avoid the Knights, but that idea was out of the window.

"Kururugi!" Came the loud imposing voice of the Knight of One through the _Galahad's _speakers. "When will you cease this foolish action and hand over the Emperor's murderer. If you do so, you will be granted at the very most, an honorable death. Is that such a thing that you Eleven's are seeking? To die with honor?"

Suzaku looked toward the three Knightmares of some of the best pilots in the entire Empire, a position he was in and held with pride. Then he looked behind him to his friend, who was clutching his shoulder in pain, the friend who murdered the woman he loved, the friend he betrayed. He then looked back to the Knightmares with an almost somber look in his eyes.

"Not that long ago," He began quietly, "That's what I would've wanted: an honorable death serving a cause I believed in." He then glared at the Knightmares with his eyes now filled with a burning determination. "But now, I will not allow myself to die! Not until I accomplish my goals of making this world a better place!"

His words shocked all those present, even Lelouch, who stared up at his friend in awe. Suzaku looked into the ravened-haired boy's eyes, a smile donned on his face. "That is why I refuse to abandon Lelouch!" He declared. "I refuse to give him up to gain an Honorable death! I would rather die without honor in fighting for a cause I truly believe in, than with honor betraying another!"

He then glared at the Knightmares with a smirk on his face. "So you just take your request and shove that piece of nonsense up your tailpipe! Because I will never bow down to anyone anymore who I know in good conscience is an evil and wicked man!"

All the knights present were taken greatly aback by that statement. A Knight of the round had just declared the nation he served as wicked and evil. And was willing to stand by a man who killed the woman he loved.

Bismark then sighed. "Very well." He said. Then, he raised his Knightmare's blade high above its head. "Then drown in the depths of the pit which you and that boy willingly threw yourselves in!"

Suzaku merely closed his eyes and got ready to met his end. Lelouch followed suit.

Then, as if by some sign from high that they hadn't been abandoned yet, a beeping went off on Batman's utility belt. Looking down, his eyes widened as he saw the blinking red light was now solid green. Looking off into the distance, he saw a black sleek vehicle fastly approaching their position.

Looking back at the Knightmares, he shouted as he grabbed Suzaku by the arm. **"NOT TODAY!"**

He then did something no one would expect of someone in his position: he jumped! With Suzaku held tightly to him! Suzaku screamed in surprise by his friend's action.

**"ARE YOU CRAZY!?"** Suzaku shouted.

"I dress up as a bat what do you think?!" Lelouch countered back.

They almost came into impact with the ground when Lelouch did a front roll, fired his jet boots to slow them down, and landed feet first in the cockpit of the flying vehicle, with Suzaku landing, surprisingly, on his face.

Lelouch acted instantly and gripped the control of the vehicle. _"Manual control engaged."_ a robotic voice said. Then, using all his strength, which was killing his shoulder, he pulled back on the control sticks.

The vehicle then slowed down while it fired multiple boosters from its front underside at maximum power, lifting it upward. Lelouch struggled against the gravity, the instant change in direction, and the pain as he pulled the vehicle up from crashing into the building.

Thankfully, he was able to pull the vehicle fully up before it crashed into the building, with only a small scratch. The vehicle then rocketed upward at incredible speed, glass was shattering as it flew upward past the Knightmares and into the sky. The strong gust of wind was even able to have the Knightmares back up slightly.

**"WH-WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!"** Cried Gino as he gazed up at the machine that flew past them.

Bismark merely growled. "Lady Alstreim," Bismark called to the Knight of Six, "Analyze that aircraft!"

Anya did as she was told and began scanning the machine. "It's not an aircraft," she reported, confusing those present, "At least, not any known one in the database. Its design is not conventional with a typical aircraft. And it's speed-" Anya gasped.

"What?!" Gino asked, concerned when he heard his friend gasp. "What about its speed?!"

After a moment of silence, Anya finally spoke, which shocked those present. "Mach 3."

The eyes of the two other knights, even Bismark, widened substantially. Mach 3 was the fastest known speed able for man to achieve at the moment. And barely any sort of Vehicle held capabilities of reaching that speed. So how in the world did Batman get his hands on it?

"What is that machine?!"

* * *

"Batmobile," Lelouch called to his machine, "Do a system check. Make sure all systems are ready!" He then began to do his checklist of the machine.

_"Yes, sir." _The computer responded as it began its task.

"You know," came the groaning of one Suzaku Kururugi as he stood up, his stomach feeling sick, "Next time you plan of jumping off a building with no way to fly, make a one-in-a-million landing in the cockpit of a flying car, and then do a J turn, warn me please."

Lelouch simply smirked. "Where's the fun in that?" Suzaku merely groaned at that question, while Lelouch turned his head back to the computer.

_"All systems functional, ready to proceed when ready sir."_ The computer answered.

"Perfect." He said while smiling in anticipation. "Hang on to something Suzaku, cause we're gonna do something crazy. Also, stay close to the chair, its gonna get a little crowded in here."

"Please tell me you not gonna do any more crazy maneuvers in this thing?" Suzaku pleaded with his friend.

"Nope!" Lelouch assured his friend. "Something even crazier. Remember the Shinkiro, the Knightmare I had to tear apart to make this?"

Suzaku slowly nodded, not understanding what Lelouch was saying.

Lelouch then smirked. "Well, let's say that I kept at least one feature from the Shinkiro that I transferred to the Kōmori." He then turned back to the viewscreen.

"Batmobile: **TRANSFORM!"**

* * *

What happened next, no one expected.

The mysterious vehicle had then begun to separate and change its shape. Arms, legs were extending from the vehicle. Blades began extending from its forearms, and hands were beginning to form. A slide pulled back, and a head that greatly resembling a bat emerged. Then, crimson red energy wings emerged in the shape of a bat's wings. The vehicle turned Knightmare spread out its arms and wings, stuck its feet together, and positioned itself in front of the full moon. The light it was giving off made it seem like more of a bat.

Those present could not help but be amazed at the sight they just beheld. Gino especially. "Okay," He began calmly, "I know he killed our Emperor and committed a lot of horrible acts against our country. But," Her then screamed with excitement, **"DANG THAT WAS SO AWESOME!"**

Bismark merely growled at the Knight of Three's childish behavior. The standard for Knights has dropped greatly in the past decade.

"It doesn't matter!" He declared as he sent the _Galahad_ charging after the bat-like Knightmare. "You will still burn for murdering our Emperor! You commoner blood!"

The _Kōmori_ then raced down to meet the _Galahad_, moving as fast as the _Guren S.T.E.I.N._ Without his Geass, the Knight of One was at a slight disadvantage. But he wasn't made the most powerful knight because of that Geass, it was his reward. The _Galahad_ brought its sword up to strike.

But in the blink of an eye, the _Kōmori_ brought its left arm up and blocked the blade with its forearm blades. The sword struggled to get free, but it wouldn't budge. The _Kōmori_ then swatted the blade away and gave a right cross the _Galahads_ face then a roundhouse that sent it crashing on the roof of the building.

"What the?!" Gino exclaimed in shock. In all his time as a Round, he never saw anyone, lay a finger on the Knight of One, much less knock him down! That made him a little intimidated by this opponent.

Anya didn't deter, however. She aimed the _Mordred's _main cannon and fired at full power. The _Kōmori_ though made no move to evade the attack. Instead, it brought it's red energy wings in front of it and the crimson streak hit it dead on. When the beam of energy ceased due to lack of power, to their great astonishment, the _Kōmori_ was still present, not melted into a pile of scrap, where it was, then charged the _Mordred_ at full speed.

Anya couldn't help but gasp, "But how-"

"Did I stop your Hardon beam?" A voice that came from the _Kōmori _answered her unspoken question. "Well turns out that I kept two features from the _Shinkiro._" Lelouch meant that the absolute defense system the Rakshata developed. He couldn't apply it to the whole Knightmare, but the energy wings were enough.

The _Mordred _was barely able to dodge the strike from the _Kōmori._ However, when it turned back around, the bat Knightmare had pulled something from its utility belt. It resembled the VARIS rifle, so much that Anya believed it was one. The Knightmare fired the weapon and a white ball of energy made its way to her.

Anya closed her eyes so she wouldn't see, but death did not come for her. Instead, the white ball of energy had begun short-circuiting her Knightmares systems. As she tried to move the controls, she found that the _Mordred_ would not respond.

"The Remote Electric Charge Gun," Lelouch explained, smiling as he did so, "Or the REC gun. Capable of powering up dead generators, or deactivating ones already on. Also, it is capable of short-circuiting a Knightmare for a brief period, stunning it."

Warning lights then went off as the _Kōmori_ turned to see the _Tristan_ charging straight at it. However, the black Knightmare was faster as it did a backflip to avoid the charging strike. It then proceeded to dodge and evade the following attacks from Gino's frame.

"The electronics in the batsuit connecting to the Knightmare," Lelouch began explaining as he continued to maneuver the machine around Gino's strikes, "Allows for high-performance output from the machine. Giving it speed and reflexes that rival, and quite possibly, surpasses that of the _Guren_ and the _Lancelot!_"

At that last statement, the _Kōmori_ caught the _Tristan's_ blades in its bare hands in the blink of an eye. Then, it crushed the blades within its hands and delivered a series of fast punches and kicks to the _Tristan_ and knocked it away.

The warning system went off and Lelouch was just able to bring the _Kōmori's_ arm blades up to block an attack from the charging, and furious, Knight of One's Knightmare. The momentum was enough to push the _Kōmori _and_ Galahad_ onto a nearby building. When they made contact the Knightmares skidded across the room until the _Galahad_ had the _Kōmori _at the edge with its sword still on its arm blades.

"You think you can stop Britannia!?" The Knight of One roared as he applied more pressure onto the bat-like frame. "You are just two meaningless individuals against an Empire that rules over a third of the world! Why do you even fight?!"

Lelouch struggled to push up, but his injured shoulder kept him from doing exerting the amount of strength needed. Then, a hand covered Lelouch's left arm. Lelouch looked over to see Suzaku was giving Lelouch the strength he needed to continue. The two smiled at each other before glaring at the _Galahad._

Together they declared: **"BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE WILL!"**

At that, the _Kōmori's_ extended its MVBs, and with a swipe of its arms, sliced the large blade of the _Galahad_ in two!

The Knight of One's eyes were never blown so open. Lelouch vi Britannia and Suzaku Kururgi had both grown into formidable foes, ones that could even challenge the entire Empire.

In his state of astonishment, the _Kōmori _then delivered with its right hand a powerful uppercut that was able to knock the head off the Knightmares body. Then, it extended its MVCs and sliced into the power source of the _Galahad,_ shutting the frame down.

Before the _Kōmori_ could soak in its victory over the strongest knight in Britannia, the _Tristan_ had charged them and forced them to take off, red bat energy wings extended as it moved to avoid the attacks. It then grabbed an outstretched hand and did an arm throw that threw the_ Tristan_ a distance from them and off-balance.

Taking advantage of this opening, the _Kōmori _reached into its utility belt and pulled out a blue glowing object with what seemed like frozen air coming out of it. It then threw the object toward the _Tristan._

The _Tristan_ turned around and planned to crush the object in its hands. But when it made contact, the object exploded in a cyan colored cloud. A moment later, the cyan cloud cleared, leaving the metallic arm right arm of the _Tristan _covered with ice spikes sticking out from the elbow down. "What?! But how?!" Gino cried as temperature warning signs went crazy in his Knightmare.

"A high-powered sub-zero temperature projectile," Lelouch answered. Gino frowned in confusion, a what? Lelouch sighed. "Or, in simple terms, a freeze blast. It releases chemicals that create a cloud that makes everything in its radius turn instantly sub-zero. Great of solidifying water, or for making robust material fragile. So I can do this!"

He pulled out a Batarang from the _Kōmori's_ utility belt and threw it toward the _Tristan's_ frozen metallic arm. The metallic limb shattered as the bat-like object collided with it. He then gave a Suzaku styled spin kick to _Tristan's_ head, knocking it downward. The _Kōmori_ then fired its four claw harkens. Three gripped the remaining limbs while the fourth made its way around the waist.

Lelouch shouted as he began to spin the Tristan around as he made his way back to the stunned _Mordred_. When the_ Mordred_ finally was able to move again, it was met with a surprise as the _Tristan_ collided with it. The _Kōmori_ kept spinning them until it finally released and threw them onto the roof of a building.

As the _Kōmori_ stood victoriously above its enemies, the duo in the Knightmare couldn't help but be amazed. They went up against some of the three best warriors in Britannia, including the Knight of One, and came out on top.

However, their moment of victory was ruined when the Kōmori's sensors went off again. Turning to the source of the warning, the two could faintly see small black objects in the distance. Lelouch then magnified the image and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Suzaku asked.

"We've got incoming," Lelouch stated as he then showed the image to Suzaku, causing the boy to gasp. "Lots and lots of incoming."

"I think that's an understatement!" Suzaku clarified.

And it was

It almost seemed as if the entire Britannian military in Japan and Black Knight forces present were conveying on the bat-like Knightmare. Lelouch could even see the _Shen Hu_ in the ranks along with the _Gekkas._

"What are we gonna do now?" Suzaku asked. "We can't exactly fight an entire army."

"Don't worry." Lelouch simply said. Suzaku stared at his friend in bewilderment. Lelouch merely smirked like a demon. "I have a plan."

"You do?"

"Well," Lelouch began innocently, "I may or may not have kept one last feature from the_ Shinkiro."_

* * *

As the large forces of Knightmares charged toward the bat-like Knightmare frame, Li couldn't help but be disgusted with himself.

Though he had doubts about Zero from the beginning, and his little stunt with Tianzi when he placed a gun to her head, he had grown to respect the masked man, Especially after he saved his and Tianzi's lives. But when he learned the truth of who he was, he felt like a fool for trusting a man like that!

And he believed he could just put on a new mask and have a new name and it makes him a hero. That boy is a fool!

And he was going to make Zero/Batman/Lelouch pay for his actions!

As he and the Black Knights, along with the Britannian forces accompanying them, closed in on the Bat-like machine, his eye caught something strange as the Machine began to move.

Zooming in, he saw the bat-symbol on the machine's chest began to open. When it did, Li felt a sense of undesiring memories bubble to the surface of his mind. Then, all of a sudden, the machine shot out a familiar prism-like object.

"All units scatter!" Li shouted as he began to take evasive actions. Last time a Knightmare owned by Lelouch shot out a prism-like that, an entire army of Chinese Knightmares were eliminated. And it seemed the coward out to commit the same act again. He knew that change of heart was a lie.

However, instead of firing a beam of lasers, as Li expected, the bat-like machine fired a beam of light. When the light hit the prism, the entire area was enveloped in a blinding light that caused every one to see white for the next couple of moments.

When the white light disappeared from their vision, they saw the bat-like frame was now gone.

Inside his Knightmare, Li had to admit, he was impressed. _'He managed to incapacitate us and did so without damaging our Knightmares, or killing us.'_ He thought as he stared at the spot where the bat-like machine was once located.

_'Maybe the boy had changed?'_ Li thought as he just stared at where the Bat-like Knightmare once was._ 'Or maybe not?'_

* * *

"What the heck was that?!" Suzaku asked as the cloaked _Kōmori_ made its way over to the Bat-bunker.

"Well, I kept the prism that would project lasers in all directions when I hit it with a beam weapon," Lelouch explained. "But instead of hitting it with lasers, I hit it with a light that sent it around the battlefield, blinding everyone in its range."

"So you turned a muti-enemy killer into a giant disco ball that blinds people?" Suzaku smirked. Lelouch frowned that one of his greatest applications to the _Kōmori_ was being compared to something used at dance parties.

"In simple terms, yes," Lelouch confirmed. "But now we've got bigger problems. Schneizal and the Balck Knights high command know who I am. While I expected this would happen, I thought it would be after we took down Schneizal."

"Do you think Schneizal will tell the public who you are?" Suzaku asked a serious question.

"No," Lelouch simply stated, "If he does that, then the public will most likely turn support to me because I do save people, not caring if I was a Britannian Prince. Also, he'll most likely use this information to blackmail me when he gets the chance again."

"So what do we do now?" Suzaku asked. Lelouch groaned as the pain in his shoulder came back.

"Well for starters," He said as he massaged his shoulder, "We're gonna head back to the bat-bunker and patch up my shoulder, the thing is killing me! As for what we're gonna do about Schneizal…" Lelouch's face fell slightly. "I don't know. We can't make any significant move against him with the knowledge he has."

"Well…" Suzaku began with a devious smirk of his own. "We do have something that may be able to slow him down."

Lelouch looked at his friend in confusion for a moment. But before he could ask what in the world Suzaku was talking about, the nearby TV caught his attention.

* * *

"Have you found any trace of them?" Schneizal asked. His tone was that of a completely calm man, but inside, he was livid. He underestimated Lelouch and Suzaku's loyalty to each other, and their will to keep fighting.

"Nothing Your Highness!" an officer answered. "Whatever that light was, it blinded our sensors along with our visual capabilities. And the city cameras aren't picking up anything either."

Schneizal uncharacteristically growled. _'You've been busy haven't you, Lelouch?'_

"Prince Schneizal!" A voice called from down the hall. Turning to the source, Shneizal's eyes widen slightly when he saw Kanon running toward him. When he reached the Prince, he placed his hands went to his knees and was breathing heavily.

"What is it Kanon?" Schneizal asked. He had last ordered Kanon to look over the cleanup and make sure their alliance with the Black Knights were still intact. So he wouldn't come running to him if it wasn't important.

'When the faithful servant regained his breath, he frantically told Schneizal. "Turn on the news channel! **NOW**!" If his actions didn't convince Schneizal of Kanon's worry, his voice sure did.

He turned back to the security officer and nodded for him to comply.

When the large TV was replaced with the news Schneizal was able to see what caused Kanon with such great worry. Because it caused himself to be filled with his worry.

* * *

A few minutes ago

_"Good evening world! I'm Milly Ashford here to give you breaking news on a pressing subject concerning our nation of Britannia's royal family."_

_People watching the news broadcast noticed the usual energetic newswoman held none of her cheerful attitudes. Meaning something must have unsettled her._

_"Recently we have learned that the eleventh prince of the Empire Lelouch vi Britannia is alive and was sent to be executed for the murder of the Emperor in an apparent attempt for the throne. However, we have just learned from an anonymous source that Britannia's own Second Prince may not be the so-called white and pure individual we believe him to be."_

_"Be advised: the images you are about to see are of real people. This is not doctored footage or some hacker playing a sick game. This is real life. So please, keep any of your children from viewing these if you can."_

_With that, the TV screens had begun to show the same lab that Lelouch and Suzaku saw as they watch the videos of the test subjects._

_"Phosphorus test #34." A scientist's voice came from the video. He then moved over to a man strapped in a table with a syringe in his hand. The man thrashed against the restraints trying t get loose, but the effort was in vain, and the scientist was able to inject the substance in the needle into the man's throat._

_Almost immediately, the man's body began to burst into flames. He seemed to be stable for a moment, but then cries of pain came from his throat. And then his flesh was reduced to ash._

_"Test #34 is the same as the previous 33." The scientist reported as he continued writing down the lab report. "Thankfully Prince Schneizal is continually presenting us with numerous rounds of subjects, or as he calls them 'volunteers'. Heh! I'll never know how he was able to convince them to come to sign up for this."_

The people-watching, Britannians and Japanese alike, gasped in horror at what they had just witnessed.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Black Knights were currently watching the 'Scarecrow' video, detailing the fear toxin that Kallen was injected with. If looks could kill, the men who made that toxin would be dead a hundred thousand times over. While Rakshata held a look of absolute disgust.

"W- what is the meaning of this?" Ohgi said out loud as his eyes were blown wide open at what he just saw.

"I don't know." Tohdoh said, as his ever stoic personality was blown sky-high as he watched the video of the 'Joker' project. "I don't know."

_"Continue with the experiments doctor, I want to see better results." Said a familiar voice that neither of the Black Knights had trouble recognizing._

* * *

"Prince Schneizel, that's your voice," Kanon muttered as they watched the broadcast. Schneizel gave an uncharacteristic growl at his aid's comment.

"Oh really Kanon," Schneizel growled, sarcasm filled his voice, "I didn't know what my voice sounded like, thanks for clearly pointing it out."

Kanon merely had adopted a look of terror in his eyes. "Wh-what I mean is what will we do now?" He asked, trying to regain his voice. "Once the homeland sees this, they are most likely to throw execute you, despite being the Prime minister of the Empire and a prince."

Schneizel gave it a quick thought over in his mind. After a moment, he proceeded to walk out of the room with Kanon following behind, away from eyes and ears. "Contact the Damocles and tell them to prepare to fire when ready."

Kanon merely had his mouth open when he suggested that. 'Now?! This soon?!' Was plastered over his face as he gazed as the Second Prince. The look in Schneizel's eyes was all the confirmation he needed.

He gulped down a lump he didn't know he had as he nodded. "What will be the target of the weapon, Your Highness?"

* * *

Lelouch could only stare at his friend in shock mixed with amazement. Somehow, Suzaku had developed a sound plan against Schneizel, all on his own! Maybe he had learned from his time with Lelouch?

"This was your idea?!" Lelouch asked in disbelief. Suzaku only smirked. "How did you come up with this?!"

"Well since you were the one now running into situations without thinking, someone had to use their brains," Suzaku stated in a matter-of-factly way that made Lelouch groan in annoyance. Was he becoming like Suzaku? "So I called Milly and had her be the one to broadcast the information off the computer I found in the lab. You know, so we both wouldn't get executed for attacking a Prince without reason."

"And did you believe this would stop Schneizel?" Lelouch asked.

After a moment of silence, Suzaku responded. "No. I'm not that naive anymore. But I knew this would at the very least slow him down, and cause some major players to lose trust in him. Mostly, it would cause him to be turned against the whole world, mainly because he was the one who came up with the idea of banning human test subjects against their will."

Lelouch smiled proudly. "I'm impressed Suzaku," He declared, "That was smart thinking, worthy of Zero." He smiled in humor as he made his last statement. "Especially if the one who came up with it is an idiot."

Suzaku gave off a disgusted scoff. "An idiot?!" He yelled incredulously. "And whose idea was it to charge the Viceroy Palace alone!?"

The rant continued as they made their way to the Bat- bunker.

* * *

**"THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!"** Lloyd cried as he watched the video footage of the human experiments.

"I know, it's horrible! All those people!" Cecile said as she held her hands over her mouth trembling.

"What?! I'm not talking about the people!" Lloyd stated. "I'm talking about the fact that Schneizel went and invested funds into genetics when that money should have gone over to our department so we could make more advancements!"

Cecile's horror was now replaced with great frustration. She growled as she held squeezed her knuckles so hard they were turning white.

She'd had enough!

**"LLOYD! FOR ONCE IN YOUR PATHETIC LIFE CAN YOU PLEASE CARE ABOUT SOMETHING OTHER THAN YOUR KNIGHTMARES!? IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?!"** Cecile roared in fury, causing Lloyd's eyes to widen at the sudden fury in his assistant's voice.

Cecile then breathed to calm herself down after her outbursts. She had to admit, that felt so good!

* * *

Meanwhile, in Britannia's capital, Peradragon, all the members of the royal family, besides Lelouch, Schneizel, and Cornelia, were in the middle of a discussion. The topics included Lelouch's return and Schneizel's actions.

"I say we kill him!" Carine voiced out. She was usually one of the more violent of the siblings.

"I agree, but who?" Guinevere asked, the oldest daughter of the Emperor's many, many, children. "Lelouch did kill the Emperor, but that would make him the next Emperor under the Regicide act. And while Schneizel is the Prime minister, even he wouldn't be able to wiggle his way out of this scandal."

"What do you believe in Odessyan?" Castor asked the eldest of the children.

The said first prince sweat in nervousness. While he was the oldest, he was never the smartest or most ambitious of the children. He usually deferred politics and military efforts to people like Schneizel and Cornelia.

However since Schneizel was the topic of this said discussion, he couldn't defer to him for help. He had to make this decision for himself, and that terrified him.

Before he could even speak, however, a servant burst into the room, a look of terror in his eyes. "Your Highnesses!"

"What is it you want your worm?" Pollux, Castor's twin brother asked annoyed at the interruption. "We are in the middle of an important discussion."

"F-forgive me!" The servant stuttered. "But an unidentified object is on a collision with the Imperial Palace!"

The princes and princesses' eyes widened significantly.

"How long until impact?!" A random princess asked.

All hearts of those in the room dropped at the servant's next sentence.

"30 seconds!"

* * *

**"ARGH!"**

"Sorry! Sorry!" Suzaku said as he messed up a stitch. "I've had first aid training in the military, but this is honestly the first time I'm trying it on an actual person."

"I can see that," Lelouch muttered as he sat there with the top portion of his batsuit off.

"How'd the bullet even pierce the suit? Isn't it supposed to be bulletproof?" Suzaku asked as he began threading another stitch.

"It is, but-ow!" Lelouch exclaimed, followed by another sorry from Suzaku. "But, Schneizel must have figured out that materials made with Sadakarite can pierce the suit's armor, and had soldiers start carrying firearms with rounds in them."

"Well, your lucky it wasn't anywhere else," Suzaku commented as he looked to where the bullet was pulled out. "An inch or two anywhere else and you'd probably have to bleed out before we got back here. Or that you didn't get an infection."

"Yeah, lucky," Lelouch muttered, his tone slightly depressed. He heard that a lot over his life. Lucky that he survived the bombings, pulling off his miracles, and narrowly escaping death. But how long until his luck finally runs out.

"Aaannnddd… Done!" Suzaku said as he put the tweezers down. "That should hold for now. But we may want to get an expert before you do anything too strenuous."

"Do you know of anyone who would be willing to help an exiled Prince that murdered the Emperor of Britannia, and a Rogue knight of the Round?" Lelouch asked rhetorically as he put on a black long sleeve shirt that hugged his body well.

"I was honestly hoping you did," Suzaku replied truthfully.

"Well we can worry about that later," Lelouch said as he made his way to sit at the chair for the bat computer, the news playing on in the background on mute. "Right now we need to focus on how we're gonna take advantage of the confusion and backlash of that Schneizel's facing."

"Got any idea of how best we can do that?" Suzaku asked as he stood beside the chair.

"I have a few," Lelouch commented as he began to look up schematics for different plans. "I'll want your input before I decide on anything though."

Ask Lelouch continued bringing up different plans, Suzaku stared at the screen that held Milly on it, and he couldn't help but smile. Though he had wanted to go through it by the military, he was using an aspect of Britannia to change it. Though he was using it to reveal a secret of the said empire, it felt good to at least honor a part of his previous-

Wait!

Something is wrong!

Something big happened! Something bad!

"Lelouch," Suzaku called, snapping Lelouch out of his trance, "Pull the news on the main monitor and turn it up." Confused at what Suzaku was thinking, but following nonetheless, he pulled up the news on the main screen. And saw what Suzaku was getting at.

Milly's face morphed from confusion into one of horror as she placed her hand on the earpiece to make sure it was functioning properly.

_"-wait come again, Gene? What did you just say?!" Milly asked, the worry still present in her voice. After a moment, she straightened herself and put on a strained face of professionalism._

_"We've just received breaking news!" Milly said, bracing herself for what she was about to say next. "Peradragon, the capital of the Holy Britannian Empire, has just been destroyed!"_

Lelouch shot up in his seat. His and Suzaku's eyes went wide. What did she just say?!

_"I repeat, the city of Peradragon, Britannia's capital has been completely obliterated!"_

Those watching on the streets gasped in horror. The Britannians began shaking uncontrollably. Their capital was destroyed? How could this be?!

_"A bird's eye view revealed that the city was destroyed by the same weapon that obliterated the Tokyo Settlement in Area 11 over 6 months ago."_

_A video was then shown in the air in the outskirts of Peradragon. A second later, the same pink orb erupted from the Imperial Palace and enveloped the rest of the city. What remained was nothing but an empty crater where the capital of the most powerful empire in the world once was._

_"We don't have a full list of casualties, but it seems that all those present in the city were killed by the strange blast. Including the majority of the Royal family."_

* * *

The Black Knights looked in horror as another city was destroyed by the same blast that took the Tokyo Settlement.

Kallen was shaking in fear of her own, as her father was in the capital on business. Hopefully, he didn't get caught up in the blast zone. But that hope was unlikely at the moment.

* * *

_"We currently have no identity of who was responsible for this attack. The Black Knights, the EU, and the Chinese Federation have refused to take credit for this atrocity."_

_The screen had then begun to glitch out slightly._

_"Wait? Da-vh- wh-vz go-jxzzk, on?!" The picture of Milly at a news desk was then replaced with a dark background that resembled a Viceroy Palace's throne room. And there on the throne stood one figure as the light began to come on._

_"My fellow Britannians, and my foreign friends. I am Schneizel el Britannia, and I am here to make a declaration." The prince said as he took a deep breath for drama's sake. "I am the one responsible for Peradragon's destruction!"_

* * *

Throughout the world, all minds went blank.

How could this be? How could a Prince of Britannia, and it's Prime Minister no less, destroy his own Empire's capital? His own family and citizens?

* * *

_"Many of you are wondering why I did such an act of slaughter." Schneizel stated, "The answer is simple: for peace."_

Peace? **PEACE?!** Schneizel destroyed a city full of innocent people for that sake of peace!?

_"The world as we all know it is full of struggles: war," at that an image of Knightmares belonging to two opposite sides were destroying each other, "hunger," an image of a starving village and it's people suffering from lack of food, "famine," a village and it's people suffering from fatal illnesses and then dying off, "and some many others." Many more atrocities began showing on the televisions across the world._

_"Do you know why we are all plagued with these atrocities? Why do we continue to suffer from these viruses that destroy us?" Schneizel asked rhetorically. "The answer is simple: we as human beings, are mindless savages."_

_That statement caused an uproar around the world._

_"We seek to answer conflicts we have through violence, and that solves nothing but leaves death and destruction in its wake," Schneizel explained before smiling proudly. "However that all changes today! May I present to you: the Damocles!"_

_At that statement, an image then appeared on all the screens in the world. It caused the world to gasp. There in the clouds, was a flying fortress that was in the shape of a sword almost._

_"The Damocles is the first superweapon fully developed, and is armed with the same weapon that destroyed both the Tokyo Settlement and Peradragon: FLEIJA!" They all gasped that a weapon of that size was able to hold such destructive power in its arsenal._

* * *

Nina covered her hands in horror as she heard that statement. She was the one who created the FLEIJA, at first as a way to replace nuclear energy. Then she created as a weapon to kill Zero after he killed Princess Euphemia.

When the FLEIJA ended up destroying the Tokyo Settlement, she was horrified by the capabilities of that weapon. She then disappeared, hoping to run away from her shame and guilt.

But now that the very man that had decided to support her used her research as a way to hold the world hostage, the guilt and shame returned and threatened to crush her.

* * *

"With the Damocles, the world can then move into genuine peace," Schneizel stated from the throne room in the Viceroy Palace. "With this weapon's power, we can make sure that conflicts will be resolved swiftly and without such tragedies. It will fire on any city that refuses to see the peace that I am providing the people. Keeping the world in line."

The Second Prince rose from the throne and made his way closer to the camera. He stopped when he was within almost an arm's reach from the camera.

"My fellow human beings," Schneizel began, lifting his hand in front of the camera as if he was expecting those watching to reach their hands through the television and take hold of his. "I ask all of you, please join me in making sure we have everlasting peace!"

**A/N: So there we have it! I'd like to make a few comments and notes over some reviews.**

**I've been seeing that a lot of people are criticizing me for having Lelouch's identity get reviled like that, but there is an explanation for that that will come in later chapters. Just bear with me.**

**And I know I made it seem like I made Lelouch a total boss in the fight with the Knights of the Round, but there are perfectly good reasons why he was able to win.**

**First: He currently has the most advanced Knightmare in the world at the moment, and it is decked out with multiple armaments. And no one truly knows what that machine is capable of. So he's got a load of surprises to test out on the bad guys.**

**Second: Suzaku told him the fighting styles and tactics of each Knight, so Lelouch has a good idea of how they fight and how best to counter their moves.**

**Third: Lelouch is a genius in combat, able to predict the moves and strategies of his opponents way before they make them. Plus with the combat and Knightmare training he's received, he rules the battlefield.**

**Fourth: Bismarck doesn't have his Geass anymore. Sure he was strong without it, but it still gives Lelouch a huge advantage over him now that someone can't see through his plans.**

**And fifth: Lelouch's mother was the knight of six and two! So that fact that he didn't have some Knightmare ace skills in his bloodlines drove me a bit crazy! So I'm making more apparent here.**

**And for the flying Batmobile transformation into the Kōmori, I didn't come up with that idea. That idea goes to Sunwolf27. Thanks for the idea!**

**Also yes I based the Batmobile off the one from Batman Beyond because this is a crossover between those two franchises. **

**And yes, the Kōmori's weapons are based on the gadgets from the Arkham franchise, and I included features from the Shinkiro in the Kōmori because the bat frame was made from that model. If you guys have any more features you want me to add, just tell me because I'm gonna give the most advanced Knightmare in the world an upgrade.**

**So anyway here's why I won't be updating for a while. When I first published this story, I had already written about 4 or 5 chapters out on a Google doc and have them releasing them weekly while I work on the new ones. But this one I just finished and I have yet started on the next one. So don't expect one next week, maybe.**

**Anyway, that's all for now, hope you enjoyed the chapter. See you next time.**

**One final note: this is my longest chapter yet. I now have a new respect for those who write long chaptered fanfictions.**

**Next time, Lelouch and Suzaku receive help from those who they never knew had their backs and Lelouch must regain his conviction to continue his mission. Meanwhile, Ohgi begins to see the consequences of trusting Schneizel.**


	9. Rise

**A/N: I don't own Code Geass or Batman Beyond. They are owned by Sunrise and Warner Brothers Animation. So please don't sue me or arrest me. So here we go Chapter 9.**

_One week later_

"What do you mean you're done being Batman?!" Suzaku asked as Lelouch began to put away various gadgets that were apart as his arsenal when he was the dark knight.

"I've only made things worse Suzaku," Lelouch explained as he closed shut one of the many compartments that were holding his gear. "As Batman, I escalated things and caused Schneizal to take desperate action to try and remain in power. If I hadn't come out of hiding or put on a mask and tried to play hero again, he would never have gone this far."

"You don't know that!" Suzaku countered. "For all we know, Schneizal probably had been planning this for years now."

"But we, no, I caused him to step up his schedule and take such an action!" Lelouch fired back. "Just face it Suzaku, this is all my fault! Everything that's happened since Shinjuku has been my fault!"

"You're not the only one to blame Lelouch," Suzaku reminded him. "I've made mistakes too, and I've lost a lot as well. The broadcast was my idea! If anything it's my fault that this happened!"

"You were only doing what I asked you to do!" Lelouch said. "I was the one who wanted you to find a way that we could take down Schneizel in a way that was justified. And now look where it's got us!"

There was a long silence in the room as the two friends contemplated each other's words. Finally, Suzaku asked the most important question. "So now after a week of weeping down here trying to come up with a solution to this, you decide to give up, but what happens next?"

Lelouch looked over at Suzaku, a look of sadness was held in his eyes. He then dropped his head down low in depression. "I'm going to turn myself into a Schneizel." He told his lifelong friend.

Suzaku's face morphed into complete disbelief. **"WHAT?! ARE YOU CRAZY?! HE'LL KILL YOU!"** Suzaku yelled.

"I know," Lelouch said mournfully. "And I'm perfectly fine with that. So long as he stops his mad quest for peace."

Suddenly, a hand flashed across Lelouch's face, knocking him to the floor. It also left a prominent red bruise that stung when Lelouch touched it. He looked up to see Suzaku standing over him with an enraged look in his face.

"Do you really believe that if you turn yourself in that Schneizel is gonna stop all this?" The Japanese boy asked rhetorically. "If so, then you're an even bigger idiot than me! Already in the last week, he's destroyed three cities for rising against him and his 'era of peace'. And you think if you turn yourself in that he'll just stop?!"

Lelouch began to stand back up. "What other choice do I have Suzaku?" Lelouch asked. "If I chose to fight, I'll be engendering Japan. Schneizal knows just how much I've come to love this country, and he'll waste no time in destroying it if you or I interfere."

"You could fight!" Suzaku answered him. "You could lead! You could inspire people to rise and-"

**"AND DO WHAT SUZAKU?! DIE?!"** Lelouch's voice boomed, shocking Suzaku.**"I'M DONE RISKING OTHERS LIVES FOR THE SAKE OF MY GOALS! I'M NOT GONNA ASK ANYONE TO RISK THEMSELVES FOR ME ANYMORE! I'D RATHER BE DEFEATED A HERO THAN BE VICTORIOUS AS A DEMON AGAIN!"**

As Suaku stared at the eyes of his best friend, and former worst enemy, he saw that Lelouch truly meant every word he said. He didn't want to be a demon again or make others die for the sake of his goals. He truly wanted to be a hero, and Suzaku knew he couldn't dissuade Lelouch. He had no right to do that to his friend.

As Lelouch put away the last Batarang, he took one last glance at the batsuit. "You know," Lelouch began, his voice cracking with sadness, eyes glistening with tears "I did love being Batman. I loved being the hero that I always made myself appear to be as Zero. I loved helping those people. I loved every minute of being Batman. And I truly believed that if I kept at it, I could make an even bigger impact on the world than I ever did as Zero."

He gave a small 'heh' and a sad smile as he looked back fondly on his exploits and adventures as Batman. He then moved his hand over the switch that would lock the batsuit away. His smile turned into a frown as his finger hovered above it.

"But I guess there are no second chances in this world," Lelouch said mournfully, "Not really."

His finger was centimeters from pressing the button-

**"ALERT! ALERT!"**

The sudden ringing from the alarms and the robotic sound of the bat computer shocked Lelouch out of his action as he turned to the supercomputer, Suzaku beat him to the punch as he brought up the alert notification to see what had caused it.

"There's an intruder outside the bat-bunker trying to get in!" Suzaku called as Lelouch threw on his suit.

"Can you get a visual on the outside cameras?" Lelouch asked as he put on his silver utility belt.

Suzaku grunted in frustration as his answer. "Nothing, they're all disabled!" Suzaku answered his friend. He turned back to see that Lelouch was holding his mask in his hands. "You think its Schneizal or the Black Knights?"

"Probably," Lelouch said as he pulled the black mask over his face. "But we can't be sure. So keep your guard up." Suzaku had already grabbed his sword and pistol. He nodded a confirmation that he was ready.

They moved over to the elevator that would take them upstairs. Batman pulled out a Batarang from his belt and held it at his side, ready to throw it if the intruders planned on a firefight. When the duo reached the top, they moved to the side of the door to the entrance and waited for the door to open.

When the door opened and a figure stepped in the room, Batman and Suzaku reacted immediately. Batman went to grab the assailant's hand, but they seemed to be both an expert in martial arts like the duo, even more so.

They grabbed Batman's hand and did an aikido throw over their shoulder. Suzaku attempted to get the figure in the neck with his sword, but they ducked beneath and struck Suzaku in the gut.

Batman did a sweep with his leg that knocked their assailant on the ground. He moved to knock them unconscious, but they were able to counter his attempt and strike him in the neck, knocking him back. Seeing their opponent was stunned, they delivered a kick to Batman's chest, and he collided with the wall.

When they straightened, they felt a blade on their neck. "Na uh!" Suzaku stated as he held his blade at their neck and held their arms with his free hand. "No your gonna give us some answers! Who sent-argh!"

Suzaku didn't get to finish as he suddenly felt a cut on his right leg. Looking down, he saw that the assailant had drawn a small knife and cut his leg. The assailant then gave a roundhouse to Suzaku's face knocking him to the floor.

They then brought their knife back up in a counter-attack to Batman's punch, the blade locked in with his forearm blades. The assailant then pushed back against the dark knight and continued slashing with her knife, with Batman barely able to keep up.

When the blades locked again, Batman then threw his arm upward and the knife followed. However, that did nothing to slow the intruder down. Instead, she used this opportunity to leap and kick Batman in the chest knocking him to the floor.

The assailant then pinned him down to the ground and grabbed the knife just as it was coming down. Acting instinctively, Batman pressed a button on his belt. Suddenly, a current of electricity flowed all around his suit and onto his pinner. The shock caused the assailant to howl in pain and shoot up off of him.

Taking this opening, Batman grabbed the woman-as evident by her scream from the shock-by the shoulders and slammed her against the wall. "Who are you?!" he demanded.

Now that he got a minute to get a look at her, she was grabbed in an all-black outfit, one befitting of a ninja. Her face was covered with a mask, which Batman quickly removed. And gasped.

Before he could say anything, she used his surprise as an opening and kicked him in the royal family jewels. Batman let out a groan and was pushed down to the floor. The woman reached and grabbed another knife-

"Sayoko wait it's me!" Lelouch called, causing the ninja/maid that had served both he and Nunnally well over the years to freeze. Quickly, Lelouch pulled back his mask, and the woman gasped.

"Master Lelouch?!" Sayoko said in disbelief. When Lelouch got to his feet, the woman wasted no time in giving the boy a big hug. "Thank goodness you are alive! I was so worried about you!"

Lelouch stiffened slightly before returning the hug. "I know." He said simply. "I missed you too." He then pulled away as he looked her in the eyes, "I thought you were dead! How did you survive?"

"I was able to get out of the blast radius before the explosion went off," Sayoko explained. "But my injuries caused me to pass out. When I awoke, the Black Knights reported that you had died." She then looked down in sorrow. "I didn't return to them after that, because I had failed to protect both you and lady Nunnally."

She then looked back at him with slight anger. "Then I saw that the Black Knights had you given over to your brother Schneizel," Lelouch could hear the rage that was present in her voice, "and I felt like a fool for believing anything they said. They betrayed you out of fear of destruction."

"No," Lelouch corrected the maid. "That's not why, they betrayed me because I lied to them, and Schneizel manipulated them. It was my fault for what they did, I wasn't honest with them. And I paid the price for it."

"Well you always did have a problem with the truth," Suzaku said as he stood up, the cut on his leg already bandaged up by a piece of his clothing.

Suddenly, Sayoko stepped protectively in front of Lelouch, knife pulled out ready to cut at his other leg.

Lelouch puts a hand on Sayoko to stop her. "It's okay Sayoko," Lelouch assured her, the ninja/maid looked at him with a concerned look in her eyes, "He's with me."

She slowly, almost reluctantly, put the knife in her hands down. "Seems we have some catching up to do."

"That we do master Lelouch," Sayoko said as he gave him a look over, and frowned slightly. "For starters, why are you dressed as a bat? As I recall, Lady Nunnally told me that you were afraid of those flying creatures as a child."

Lelouch groaned. "It's a long story."

"And also how are you in remarkable physical condition?" Sayoko stated amazed. "I remember a time when you couldn't even lift a box of pillows a flight of stairs?"

Suzaku couldn't stop himself from laughing as Lelouch's face went red with embarrassment. Why did everyone have to bring up how weak he was when they saw him again?

"I'll explain that later as well," Lelouch said trying to find a way to change the topic, then one thought entered his mind. "Sayoko, if you survived, then does that mean-"

The maid just shook her head in sorrow. "I'm sorry but I wasn't able to get to Lady Nunnally before the explosion went off," Sayoko confirmed.

The room then fell silent as the three individuals mourned over Nunnally with a brief moment.

After a moment of silence, Suzaku asked. "How did you find this place? We've been able to be kept off the radar for more than six months? So how did you find us?" Lelouch looked toward Sayoko, himself curious as to how she found them.

"It took a little while," Sayoko admitted, "But we were finally able to track the trail left by the _Kōmori's _energy wings to this location."

"Wait 'we'?" Lelouch asked. "Who's 'we'?"

Sayoko smiled at his question. "Well, why don't you two come with me and find out." She told the duo as she made her way to the exit, with the boys following.

When the two stepped out of the shipping container that was the secret entrance to their bunker, they gasped.

The crate was surrounded by people the two knew. Jeremiah, Cornelia, Guilford (who survived the FLEIJA explosion?), the Knight of Nine Nonnette Emmgram, a dozen Britannian soldiers and Black Knights, Lloyd, Cecile, and Rahkstha. Wait- was that Milly, Nina, and Rivalz in the crowd?!

As they gazed at the crowd of people standing before them, Jeremiah came forward and bowed before Lelouch, in a way that seemed to be asking for forgiveness.

"Your Highness," Jeremiah began, his voice shaking, "Forgive me of my insolence and failure to believe in you! I let myself fall prey to the Black Knights lies and believed you had perished! I have no excuse for my behavior! I only ask that you give me a swift punishment!"

Lelouch's mouth was held wide open. Even after all that has happened, Jeremiah's loyalty was still legendary and fierce. And at times a little overdramatic. Nevertheless, Lelouch kneeled to Jeremiah's eye level and stared the Knight of Orange dead in the eye.

"You are not to blame Jeremiah," Lelouch declared, causing the loyal soldier to look at His Highness in the eyes, tears almost gathered in them, "The betrayal was my fault. I was arrogant and foolish, I never trusted others, and that caused them to turn on me. But you, you remained loyal to me after all this time. I should be the one apologizing to you." Jeremiah's (and everyone present) face lit up with wonder and amazement. "I don't deserve one such as you to be this loyal to me. I am unworthy of your loyalty, but you still serve me. For that, I am grateful beyond words."

He then rose and presented his hand for Jerimaih to take. The Knight hesitated for a moment, then smiled as he grasped the hand of the man he pledged his life to service to the best of his ability.

Lelouch then looked over to the crowd of Black Knights. "What are you all doing here?" He asked.

The group stayed silent for a moment before one, a Japanese man, stepped forward and boldly declared. "We've spent years fighting Britannia! And now we're expected to shake hands with the man who destroyed the Tokyo Settlement and is holding the world hostage with a superweapon! No way! And besides, if we're teaming up with a Britanian Prince, it might as well be the one who killed the Emperor and inspired hope to us!" The rest nodded in agreement.

Lelouch then looked over to his former Ashford Academy peers. Milly only gave him a fiendish smirk. "You remember what I said during the cat party, if one of us goes down we all do. So we're here to make sure we all don't go down by making sure you stand up!" Rivalz grinned like the idiot he was.

Nina looked timid before she spoke up. "I never meant for my idea to become a weapon such as that! I want to make up for my failure by trying to stop it for Princess Euphemia!"

Lelouch grimaced. Again, all this could be traced back to him making the choice to accept Geass.

"What about you two?" Suzaku asked the pair of scientists that belonged to opposite organizations.

"Well with Schneizel going behind my back and giving funding to those fools in genetics," He was cut off as Cecile whacked him on the head, he sighed, exasperated. "And because he was experimenting on innocent people and destroyed Peradragon, I decided to leave him."

"I left because I couldn't stand the stupidity of the Black Knight leadership." Rakshata spat as she pulled the pipe to her mouth for a smoke. After a moment, she removed it and continued. "A man just destroyed his capital, and they want to ally themselves with him, that is beyond foolish in my opinion."

He then glanced at the one who got him stumped by being here to help him. Unless she came to kill him, then that would have made more sense. But she did not move so Lelouch had to ask. "What are you doing here Cornelia?"

The air in all those present was tense as the two half-siblings stared at each other with gazes that could frighten even the bravest men. Those present looked back and forth between the two as if waiting for something to happen. Instinctively, Jeremiah and Sayoko moved to stand protectively in front of Lelouch when Cornelia began to walk forward, but Lelouch signaled them to hold back.

Finally, Cornelia said a statement that was obvious to Lelouch. "I can never forgive you." She said in a cold dark tone. "No matter how much time passes or what you are now or what happened, I can never forgive you for what you did to Euphie."

"I know," Lelouch said truthfully. "I know you won't, and I don't want you to forgive me." Truly, he didn't want her forgiveness, he had to have at least someone to remind him of his greatest crime so he could remember why he was being Batman.

After a long moment of silence, Cornelia gave out an exhausted sigh. "But," She began, "We need to put that behind us for the moment. For now, we have bigger problems that need to be solved. Schneizel needs to be stopped, and quick!"

Lelouch frowned slightly at Cornelia's urgency. "What is it? What's Schneizel planning?" Lelouch asked, fear rising in his stomach.

"I'll explain inside."

* * *

"Commander Ohgi!" One of the bridge officers yelled. "Message from Prince Schneizel, it says 'Remain on standby until you are called on for help. Thank you for your cooperation.'"

"Thank you, officer Marcos." Ohgi saluted as the man sat down and resumed his duties.

Ohgi then turned and gazed out at the rebuilding city of Tokyo._ '__Just a little longer, and this city, and this country, will be ours again.'_ Ohgi told himself as he thought back on the previous week.

Some of the Black Knights weren't happy that they were allying themselves with a Britannian Prince that experimented on innocent people and destroyed his own nation's capital. Some of them even quit the knights. Where they went, they had no idea.

Thankfully, the leading members of the Knights stayed behind and supported Ohgi's decision, along with a majority of the Knights. Unfortunately, of the members that left, one of them was Rakshata, that left the Black Knights without a top scientist.

_'Then of course there was...' _Ohgi thought as he brought his hand to his still broken nose as he remembered the 'event' that happened after he confronted Schneizel last week.

_Flashback_

_"What do you mean we're allying with Schneizel?!" Kallen cried as Ohgi had just finished telling the Knights the deal he made with the Second Prince. "He just destroyed his capital and experimented on innocent people?! How can we still want to work with a man like that?!"_

_"Kallen, I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out. Please." Ohgi pleaded with Kallen. "While I admit that the fact he destroyed Peradangan is concerning, I believe that is why we should ally with him because we can guarantee Japan's safety by accepting this deal. I also asked about the people in the video, and he told me they were dangerous criminals who had nothing to live for, he didn't do it on innocent people."_

_**"AND YOU BELIEVE HIM?!"** Kallen roared causing all those present to take a step back in shock. "Just because he says something that means you can trust him?! And just because they were criminals makes it okay to experiment and torture them?! Who the heck are you?!"_

_"Kozuki!" Tohdoh hollard to get Kallen's attention. "While I admit I am also sickened by this deal we made, it's for the best. With it, no more blood will be spilled getting Japan back!"_

_"Which we could already have back if you didn't let that scum go!" Chiba shouted as she glared daggers at Kallen. "He was right there, and you didn't take the shot! We could already have Japan back if you just killed that con man on the spot in the hanger before that traitor Kururugi showed up! What were you thinking Kallen?!"_

_Kallen didn't speak as she looked down, avoiding everyone's gaze._

_"Kallen," Ohgi said, his take on a level of sympathy as he grabbed Kallen's arm comfortingly, "I know it's hard, but we have to do this to get Japan back." He then played a card that he knew would get Kallen to listen to him. "Please. It's what Naoto would want."_

_At the mention of the deceased former leader of the Kouzki resistance and Kallen's older brother, those in the room apart from the original resistance stiffened at the mention of his name. Kallen meanwhile, had her eyes hidden by her hair._

_**"Don't you dare," **Kallen said, her voice taking on a new level of dread unlike any of the Black Knights have seen before._

_"Wh-What?" Ohgi stuttered, sweat falling from his head, fearing that he just made a grave mistake._

_He got his conformation as Kallen stuck him right in the nose. He felt something in it break as he fell to the floor. He felt the warm blood come down his nose as he gazed up at Kallen with the biggest look of shock he ever had on his face, as did everyone else in the room._

_When they got a look at her eyes, they remembered why it was good to never anger a woman, especially redheads. Her eyes were like an empty abyss where if you looked in it, you would be lost in the dark forever and never find your way out, losing your soul in the process. And her voice was even darker._

_**"DON'T YOU DARE USE HIM AS AN EXCUSE TO MAKE YOURSELF FEEL JUSTIFIED!"** Kallen declared with a roar even greater than that of a dragon. **"YOU KNOW WELL THAT NAOTO WOULD NEVER WANT IT THIS WAY! AND IF YOU DIDN'T, THEN YOU WERE NEVER MY BROTHER'S FRIEND! AND YOU DIDN'T KNOW HIM AT ALL! AND YOU DON'T KNOW ME EITHER!"**_

_And with that, Kallen raced out of the room the leadership was in and made her way down to the hanger where the Guren was. The leadership was still too shocked to even comprehend what happened for a solid minute until Ohgi stepped up and tried to get after her._

_But he was too late as Kallen had begun the start-up procedure for the Guren. Ohgi made his way, and activated the blast doors on the Ikaruga! But that did little to stop Kallen as she activated the radiant wave surger and blasted a hole in the door for her to leave._

_**"KALLEN WAIT!"** Ohgi tried calling her as the Guren moved toward the exit. The ninth-generation framed stopped to turn back to the leadership of the Knights as it was at the edge of the door._

_"I'm done fighting for someone who acts out of fear and anger! **I'M DONE WITH EVERYTHING!"** Kallen declared. She turned again to face the exit as she activated her energy wings. But before she left she said one last thing. "You know?! Batman was right about one thing: Without Zero, the Black Knights are nothing but a terrorist group like before!"_

_And with that, she took off into the night!_

_Flashback end_

Ohgi sighed at the memory. They had tried to find some trace of her, but she must have disabled the IFF signal in her Knightmare. They also tried calling but she wouldn't answer. And they couldn't ask Rakshata to find her because she had already left when Kallen bolted. And her leaving also caused some of the other knights to leave.

Though the loss of Kallen was hard on him, he saw it as a blessing in disguise. At least this way she wouldn't have to fight anymore, which is exactly what Naoto wanted.

_'Or was it?'_ A voice in his head questioned him. Ever since the incident, Ohgi began doubting what it was that Naoto ever wanted. Would he want his little sister away from the fighting out there alone with nowhere to go? Would he be fine gaining Japan back if it meant that they would be at the beck and call of a man with a superweapon?

Ohgi shook his head. Of course, Naoto would want to get Japan back in a way that involved less bloodshed. Or at least, Japanese blood.

In this life, one had to make choices, choices only that person could make. And Ohgi made his choice.

He could only hope he made the right one.

* * *

"Wait. Schneizel plans to bombard every major city in the world with FLEIJA?!" Suzaku yelled in disbelief that was shared by everyone at the table as they just heard from Cornelia what Schneizel's plan was.

"Yes," Cornelia said bluntly.

"B-But why would he do that?!" Rivalz asked, clearly confused about what was going through the Second Prince's head. "I mean, if he wanted to bring peace to the world, then why would he do something that would destroy millions, possibly billions of lives?!"

Cornelia waited for a moment before she answered the boy's question. "To quote him 'To ensure permanent peace for all time.'"

_Flashback _

_"Why did you destroy Peradangan?!" Cornelia asked her now eldest brother in shock after seeing the broadcast._

_Schneizel merely gave her an impassive look. "I can't have anyone stand in my way Cornelia," Schneizel simply said, "Humanity needs to be brought to peace and I can't let anyone try to restrict me."_

_"But have you considered that they may want that peace as well?" Cornelia asked. "That they are as tired of this fighting as you are and wish to work with you to make that peace?!"_

_Schneizel only looked at Cornelia, causing her to gasp. His eyes were all the answer she needed._

_"You-you've already considered that thought have you?" Cornelia asked in disbelief. He believed that it may be possible that the Royal family would support him, but he still took action to eliminate him._

_Schneizel merely ignored her and walked over to a screen that showed a diagram of the Damocles._

_"Tell me, Cornelia," Schneizel began calmly, "What is it people desire?"_

_The question took the Goddess of victory off guard. But before she could answer, Schneizel continued._

_"Is it death," Schneizel began listing off, "poverty, hunger, famine, war, violence? No. What people want is for those things to disappear and to live on. But with how humans are, they cannot connect and resort to killing each other over misunderstandings."_

_The diagram then shifted to show Damocles move high above the atmosphere that made it seem it was a judgment for the Earth._

_"Like the mythical sword, Damocles will stand as judge over the world and its action." Schneizel continued, while Cornelia's eyes could only grow wider. "Once it reaches a height of over 300 kilometers over the Earth's surface, the Damocles will be able to fire upon any point on Earth in 90 minutes."_

_Then Schneizal turned to face Cornelia, donning a devilish smile that could rival, even surpass one given by Lelouch. "Once Damocles reaches that height, we will target every major city on the planet and destroy it."_

_Cornelia gasped! Did she hear him correctly? "But you said the Damocles would be used to preserve peace! How does destroying thousands of cities and killing millions of people going to keep the peace?!"_

_"Simply really sister," Schneizel stated as he came toward her. "By showing off the full capabilities of the Damocles, we'll be able to ensure that no one will even think about rebelling and attacking the fortress, or each other. They will comply with whatever I say so that they may live."_

_**"YOU'RE INSANE! YOU'VE GONE MAD WITH POWER! NOT EVEN LELOUCH OR FATHER EVER HAD A PLAN LIKE THIS!" **Cornelia hollard in shock._

_"Which is why I must be the one to do it." Schneizal started with a proud smile. "Only I have the strength to pull this feat off. Lelouch and father were too weak to pull off something like this. Father because he was wrapped in his delusions, and Lelouch because of his foolish compassion and love for others." _

_Cornelia froze when she heard Schneizel say those words. Schneizel had just stated that Lelouch cared, truly cared, about others over himself, even when he stated that he only used people as pawns to further his own goals. But in reality, Schneizel was speaking of himself and placing those traits onto Lelouch. _

_And there, for the first time in her life, she saw what kind of man Schneizel el Britannia is. A man so wrapped in his ambitions, that he never truly cared about what happened to those around him, so long as he came out on top at the end of it all. A man who would watch the world burn, with a smile on his face, so long as he accomplished his goal._

_Suddenly, a noise that sounded like someone was clapping came from the corner of the room. Cornelia looked over to where the source was, to see Kanon and a Britannian man in a fancy Black Knight uniform. She recognized him immediately._

_"Outstanding!" Shouted Diethard Reid, the Black Knight who was obsessed with reporting the story of Zero's triumphant over Britannia. "Truly outstanding, not even Zero had ambitions such as that! You will be more than worth my time to film a story about than Zero was!"_

_As Cornelia glanced between the greedy newsman and her mad brother, she made a decision. She gripped her sword tightly in her hand. "I will never be able to forgive Lelouch for what he's done..." She spoke softly._

_Then, she ripped the blade out of her sheath and shouted at the top of her lungs. **"YOUR WORSE THAN HE IS!"**_

_She then charged her brother, knowing that she would die, but hoped that she could at least end this madness before it could be unleashed on the world._

**_BAM_**

_The bullet hit her dead in the chest, just inches from her heart! She collapsed onto the ground, feeling cold instantly. She struggled to move, to try and stop her brother's mad obsession with peace. But she couldn't move, she could only lie there and listen to her Brother._

_"Pitiful Cornelia," Schneizel insulted. "I truly wished you would see things my way, but it seems that you value Euphie too much to accept what can be. You're as foolish and naive as she was, in a different way."_

_"Your Highness," Kanon spoke, "The Black Knights' Command wish to speak with you concerning the matter of the experiments."_

_"Ah! Well, I'll just say they were criminals who had no hope of ever-changing, that might still ensure their cooperation." Schneizel stated as if it wasn't a big deal._

_Cornelia tried to stay conscious, but her eyes were becoming heavy. She couldn't do anything, in the moment when she wanted to do something that would benefit the world, she was completely powerless. Defeated, she closed her eyes and embraced the cold fibers of death._

_Flashback end_

"However," Cornelia said as she finished recounting Schneizel's plan, "Thanks to both Guilford and Nonnette, I was able to survive. For that, I'm eternally grateful to both of you." She gave warm smiles to both knights that decided to stand by her.

"So that's his plan," Batman muttered, his mask on to conceal his identity to those who didn't yet know, still shocked that his brother would go that far. As a child, and even now, Lelouch never believed Schneizel had these kinds of ambitions to enforce peace. Or maybe, Lelouch never really knew Schneizel at all. He wore a mask, just like Lelouch used to.

"We have to stop him!" Suzaku declared. Murmurs of agreement followed quickly behind him.

"Okay, quick questions though: How?" Milly voiced out.

"Yeah! I mean, Schneizel's got the support of a majority of Britannia's military, and the Black Knights. And he's got those bombs that can destroy an entire city!" Rivalz pointed out to those present. "So how are we gonna get close enough in the state we are now!?"

Those present in the room frowned as the facts started to sink in. How were they gonna pull this off with the resources they have now?

"Well, who said anything about having to strike him now?"

Everyone in the room turned to the source of the voice to see Lloyd smiling in a grin that meant he knew something they didn't.

"What are you getting at Lloyd?" Suzaku asked.

The Earl of Pudding merely adjusted his glasses. "Well before we left Britannia's military, I did a quick scan of the Damocles and found something very interesting in the design."

"What was it?" Lelouch asked hope was beginning to fill his voice.

"A very interesting fact that may give us the ultimate victory over him and get around his threat to bomb the world." Lloyd continued to beat around the bush, not working to give a clear answer.

"Answer His Highness' question you blabbermouth or suffer the consequences!" Jeremiah threatened as he pulled his sword out of his cybernetic hand.

That was enough incentive to get Lloyd to give them a clear answer. "Well, I noticed that the Damocles has an experimental float system capable of lifting a structure of that weight to the desired height is not complete yet."

"But what does this mean?" Sayoko asked, not getting on to Lloyd's train of thought.

Before Lloyd could answer though, Rakshata beat him to the punch. "It means that Schneizel will need time to create a stable float system to carry the Damocles up to that height." She then took a glance at the Damocles' data, ignoring a glare from the Earl of Pudding. "And judging by this, it seems he'll need way longer than a few days."

"Well, then how long will he need to get this float system up and running?" Guilford asked the question on everyone's mind.

The three scientists then proceeded to look over the data collected. "Judging by the Damocles' size and weight, along with the height Schneizel desires, and that he lost the leading expert in the float system." Cecile explained, while both Lloyd and Rakshata said 'Me' when Cecile said the last part, causing the two to glare at each other in anger. "I'd calculate that it would take at least a month to get it fully operational to reach that height. Give or take a day or two."

That small fact caused the brightest light of hope to shine on Lelouch. At first, he believed he was alone against Schneizel and his forces, that he had no time at all. But now he had an army, or something close to it, along with time to prepare.

"Okay now we have time, which is great, but what about the Black Knights?" Rivalz voiced out. "They are still the most technologically advanced military unit in the world and their backing Schneizel. How are we gonna take them down along with him?"

"By turning them against him!" Nonnette declared, causing the room to look at her in surprise. She then reached into her pocket and pulled out a disc. "We were able to record the whole conversation between Schneizy and Nelly before it got deleted. Along with a couple of other words that would guarantee the Black Knights turning against Schneizel."

"That's great!" Milly shouted in joy. "I can get the message out through the News! That way everyone can know the kind of scumbag that Prince Schneizel is that so-"

"No!" Batman cut off her rant. "It's just like what happened when Suzaku aired the illegal experiments. That will only make Schneizel desperate and he'll probably lash out at the Black Knights and destroy Japan, along with the UNF. And cause him to start his whole destruction of the world plan early."

"Batman is right!" Suzaku started standing beside him. "We need to be as prepared as we possibly can when we face Schneizel!"

"But that still leaves the FLEIJA," Sayoko spoke up. "How are we going to get past that before it obliterates us?"

The group frowned in thought. They still had the most powerful weapon to deal with before they could make a dent in Schneizel's armada.

Then a hand raised in the group and a shy, timid voice spoke up. "I-I think I can do it." They all turned to see that the voice and hands owner was Nina. She then shifted uncomfortably under the gazes that were sent her way.

"You Nina?!" Rivalz cried in disbelief. "What makes you think you can stop a weapon like that?!"

"Yeah, I know you're a super genius, but what makes you think you could stop that?" Milly voiced out.

Lelouch and Suzaku looked between the two of them and Nina. _'__So they didn't know yet.'_ They both thought.

"It's because I-" Nina struggled to say the words she needed to say, "Because I was the one who built the weapon."

**"WHAT?!" **Came the cries of those who didn't know that was present

"I had originally built it as a way to make a substance that could replace Nuclear energy by adding Sadakarite to the mix." Nina began to explain. "But after Princess Euphemia was killed, I worked to turn it into a weapon to kill-" she then cast a worried glance over to Batman, "-to kill Zero. But I had no idea the destructive power it held."

**"IT WAS YOU THEN!"** Came the angry voice of a Japanese Black Knight. He then made his way over to strike her. **"IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU THEY WERE STUCK WITH A TYRANT!"**

However, Batman quickly caught the man's hand and then twisted it, yet didn't break it. The man that shot through the soldier was excruciating.

"She didn't mean for this to happen!" Batman shouted in her defense, still holding the man's hand behind his back, and twisted harder. "She had no idea what would become of it, she only wanted to kill Zero-no to kill me, because I killed Princess Euphemia! So the only one here to blame is me!"

He then threw the man into a group of Black Knights who caught him. He then turned and looked in awe at the vigilante. _'What he said, could it be that he was really-?'_

Batman then turned back to face Nina who looked at him with wonder in her eyes. She had tried for over a year to kill him, yet he saved her in a heartbeat.

"Do you think you can create a way to counteract the FLEIJA?" Batman asked with a sympathetic tone.

Nina nodded shyly. "Yes, with the time we have, I should be able to find a way to stop the explosion with the resources here."

Batman nodded. "Okay." He then turned to the remainder of the group. "We have one month until Schneizel enacts his plan for worldwide destruction. In that time, we need to create as many Knightmares as we can and create a way to destroy the FLEIJA. Let's get a move on people!"

* * *

_One month later_

It's been over a month since Kallen left the Black Knights. She didn't return to the Stanfield mansion or any of her other places of living over the past two years. Instead, she returned to an abandoned apartment complex in the Shinjuku Ghetto, specifically the one where her brother lived before he died. She parked the Guren in a place where no one would ever go daring.

In that month's time, she didn't do much. Besides getting food, and cleaning the house up slightly, she pretty much sat in any of the rooms of the house either crying, yelling in anger, or just sitting quietly. She just sat and pondered when her life had gotten so complicated.

How could things be so different than what happened before all this? When did things become so complicated for her? The answer always came in the picture of a raven-haired violet eye exiled Britannia Prince, turned arrogant student, turned masked revolutionary, turned masked vigilante.

Ever since he entered her life, Kallen's world became infinitely more complicated. But also happier, and meaningful, like what she was doing was making a difference. But then she found out who he really was, and then it was just complicated again. Who was he? Why did he do what he did? What does she mean to him?

Only when she believed she had him figured out, did he surprise her yet again? By stating that she and the others who followed him were nothing but pawns broke her heart.

Yet again, he surprised her by saying she had to live. And she did, in agony for the past seven months over who Lelouch vi Britannia really is.

And when she saw him again, it was in the form of yet another mask. The mask of a bat. He claimed he wanted to make up for the sins and mistakes he made as Zero, and Kallen could just tell he meant those words.

Yet again she lost her chance for a straw answer when he left the Viceroy Palace with Suzaku. She hasn't seen him, nor had Schneizel or the Black Knights to her knowledge, for the past month.

She needed to get her feelings out. She needed someone to talk to. Someone who wouldn't lie to her, or make some lie to manipulate her.

Which explains why she was at the prison specifically designed for 'elevens' in Japan. There was one person she could talk to that would always give her an honest answer, even if it wasn't what she wanted, it was what she needed.

The door that led to the prison on the other side of the glass window opened, revealing a Britannian prison guard and a Japanese woman with brown hair and matching eyes to Kallen's. When the woman saw Kallen, her face lit up with joy as she sat and took hold of the phone that could allow them to talk to each other.

"Hi, mom," Kallen said smiling at her mother.

"Hello, Kallen." Her mother smiled back, holding the happiest smile on her face.

After Batman/Lelouch saved her, the police took Mrs. Kouzuki back to the prison to finish the remainder of her sentence for using Refrain. Though ever since the kidnapping, her conditions have at least lightened up in the prison. The guards and prisoners were less harsh to her now, she had a better cell room.

Also the best part, she was allowed visitors, so long as they were family, which was the only thing that mattered to her, so long as she could see her daughter.

Kallen had stopped by to talk to her once a week for the past month now, feeling slightly better each time she got the chance to talk with her mother. Though most of the visits at first were Kallen apologizing for how she treated her when she was still a maid at her father's house. Also, Mrs. Kouzuki was apologizing for how she went on drugs after Naoto passed away.

But the last visit they were able to put all their mistakes and wrongdoings to each other behind them and have a normal mother and daughter relationship.

Well, as normal as you can get when one of you is behind bars.

Since then, they talked about what Kallen's life had entailed. Excluding the Black Knights, both because the Britannians would come and arrest Kallen and kill her mother, and because Mrs. Kouzuki would most likely collapse when she learned her daughter was a terrorist.

After making small talk for the past half-an-hour Kallen's face fell slightly when Lelouch entered her mind again. Noticing this, her mother inquired what was wrong.

"Oh! It's nothing mom." Kallen tried to assure her mother.

Not quite believing her daughter, due to her 'mother's intuition', Mrs. Kouzuki took a quick but deep look at her daughter's eyes. After a few moments, she found the problem and gave an exhausting sigh.

"So what kind of man is he?" Mrs. Kouzuki asked with a playful smirk on her face.

Kallen's eyes widened in confusion and surprise. "Wh-what do you mean? Who are you talking about?!" Kallen stuttered.

Mrs. Kouzuki gave another sigh. "Isn't it obvious?" She asked rhetorically. The playful smile returning to her face. "The boy my daughter's madly in love with."

Kallen's face burned an even brighter shade of red than her hair at her mother's words. **"MOM!?"** Kallen shouted in embarrassment.

Mrs. Kouzuki chuckled. "I knew it!" She declared.

Realizing she fell for the obvious trap, Kallen's face then fell into a submissive stance as her face continued to glow red in embarrassment.

After a few minutes of houmous silence (at least to Mrs. Kouzuki), the elder of the Kouzuki's asked her previous question. "So what is he like?"

Kallen looked back up to her mother, and her face fell into sadness and confusion again. "That's the problem, I don't know," Kallen admitted. "He wears like so many masks and tells so many lies just to come up with excuses not to interact with people. I don't know what he is."

Mrs. Kouzuki stared at her daughter for a few moments, pondering on what her daughter shared with her. Finally, she asked. "What do you know about him?"

Kallen pondered over those thoughts in her head before answering. "I know he's suffered a lot. He lost his mother, his sisters, and a friend who loved him. He's been betrayed and abandoned by people he helped and people who were supposed to love him and who he helped. He has a lot of anger for those responsible for his pain. But he's also sad. He carries in himself so much sadness and pain that he doesn't want to share with others. He desperately wants to make the world a better place but he keeps making mistakes that end up causing him more pain. And he keeps putting on a different mask to try and cover-up that pain so others don't worry about him."

Kallen then smiled when another fact about Lelouch came to mind. "Also apparently he's scared of bats." That caused both women to laugh.

After the laughter died down, Kallen continued. "He can come off as cruel and calculating, but he's also kind and generous. But every time I feel like I finally figure him out, he unveils another mask. I just don't know what kind of person he is?"

Mrs. Kozuki pondered on the description that her daughter gave her. It seems that her daughter found a grand man that was able to capture her daughter's heart. But at the same time, he was also someone who seemed to be an individual who has experienced heartbreak and pain unlike most people his age.

Mrs. Kozuki then asked. "Have you ever wondered why he wears so many masks?" The question caught her daughter off guard, but she continued. "People wear masks for many different reasons. Sometimes because they want to be someone they truly aren't, others to get help in something they can't do alone. But I think it's mostly because they're scared."

That last statement caught Kallen off guard. "Scared that if people see who they truly are, they'll be left alone and abandoned. Or maybe that if they let others in, they'll only end up feeling pain. Or even end up hurting the people they care about."

Kallen's mind dawned on revelation. She had never thought about it before. Could it be that simple?

"And I think that's why the boy you love keeps wearing and changing masks." Mrs. Kozuki continued. "Because in reality, he's scared of being hurt again. He's afraid of feeling the pain of losing people he loves. I'm not saying he's justified in lying and you shouldn't give him a piece of your mind when you see him." That comment caused Kallen to let out a small laugh. "But you should know that he's probably just scared of being hurt again."

Mrs. Kozuki's knew they were running low on time to talk, so she decided to finish up with one last piece of advice. "I won't tell you what to do Kallen. But I will give you one piece of advice: when you have a clear mind, follow your heart." To emphasize, she moved her right hand to cover that part of her body. "Because I know that with a clear and focused mind, along with your heart, you'll never lead you astray. Because it's what led me to stay by your side all those years."

Kallen mirrored the action of her mother and placed her hand over her heart. Yet she had one last question concerning that matter. "How will I know when my mind and heart are clear?" she asked.

Mrs. Kozuki merely smiled. "You'll know." Was all she said before the prison guard came and pulled her back to the prison.

Kallen walked home from prison with a new level of understanding. Maybe all she needed to do was talk to Lelouch to get this all figured out? But with masks, not with guns or Knightmares, but just two people trying to figure out what they mean to each other.

* * *

Lelouch suddenly sneezed violently and unexpectedly. _'Someone must be talking about me?'_ Lelouch concluded in his head as he walked around the Wayne Enterprise research and development warehouse that he and everyone made their base a month ago.

After calling Warren to see if he could give them some more research materials for their resistance if that's what you could call them, he gave them one better. He allowed them one of the most secretive and advanced research stations in Japan.

This was surprising considering how he was able to pull these kinds of strings when he was a Japanese working in a Britannian company. Warren simply stated that his boss was someone who was against Britannia's ideologies. Lelouch had been wanting to meet the man ever since, but he was always out.

The past month, Lelouch and his alleys were making steady progress. They began developing more Knightmares and weapons for them to use, as well as training others to use them.

He had also gone through more intensive training in the past month. In addition to Suzaku; Cornelia, Nonnette, Jeremiah, and Sayoko have been working to improve him even more in Knightmare piloting and physical combat. Which was more painful than anything he ever went through!

Lloyd and Rakshata were also making many upgrades to his Knightmare. They both constantly argued about how to do it, which had to be managed by both Cecile and Lelouch at times, but they managed to make significant upgrades to the performance ability and systems of the _Kōmori_ that Lelouch could never do on his own.

They also made him a new suit, which was mostly like his old one. Yet this one, according to the pair of mad scientists, would greatly help him in piloting the upgraded _Kōmori_. And they also said the material and fabric were more durable to weapons made from Sadakarite and other materials than the old one was. The only outward difference to the suit was that the red parts of the suit were now yellow with a glowing gold-colored bat symbol.

Also, the _Kōmori_ had its red color scheme, along with its red energy wings, which were replaced with a glowing golden color scheme matching his new suit. Lelouch named his new Knightmare the _Kin Kōmori_ or as translated 'The Golden Bat'. They also hinted at several other surprises.

Nina was also busy at work. Though she didn't have much to work with, she was able to at least build at least two possible counter to the FLEIJA warhead. She commented, or complained, that if she had the entire resources of Britannia's science, she could finish it in less than two days. But she would only get those resources of Lelouch was Emperor, and he was not willing to do that just to get resources.

_'But would it all be enough?'_ Lelouch found himself asking more than once. Would everything he was doing to prepare to be enough to defeat Schneizel? Sure he had grown in both skill and strength over the months, he has two Knights of the Rounds working with him plus the so-called 'goddess of victory', a genius who invented the weapon threatening the world, and multiple soldiers that were willing to follow him.

But would it be enough to defeat Schneizel and the Black Knights? Before all this he had stacked the Black Knights up with every little advantage he could get his hands on. And Schneizel was an excellent commander who could outsmart Lelouch at almost every turn. Also, he had the remainder of the Rounds supporting him, along with some Black Knight aces. And though he had proof of Schneizel's lies and manipulation, would it all be enough to cause the Black Knights, and quite possibly a majority of the Britannian military, to turn against him.

As much as Lelouch thought over this, he couldn't come up with a sure plan of victory, unless it involved him to return to the demon he once was as Zero. And he refused to back down into that place again.

But even still, Lelouch had faith. Faith in his comrades, his friends, his family. But also faith in himself. That he could overcome this challenge that always stood in his way from becoming a symbol greater than he was as Zero.

As people began to form a circle around Lelouch, while wearing his cowl to hide his identity, and his 'high command' (which consisted of Suzaku, Cornelia, Sayoko, Jeremiah, Rakshata, and Lloyd). As Lelouch looked out at the crowd before him, he realized that this is the first time he's leading people ever since he gave up the identity of Zero. A part of him doubted he could do it again, or at least as effective when he was Zero.

But he had to try.

"Everyone!" He called to the crowd. They turned to face their leader. Batman moved to stand on a sturdy table for all to see him.

"I would like to begin by thanking all of you for being here. I am grateful for your being here and for providing me with your assistance. I have to admit that I could never have done any of this without you."

He paused then to sigh dramatically.

"But you're not here to receive praise are you?" He asked rhetorically to the crowd. They all shook their heads in answer. "No, you're here, because you decided to make a stand. Because you decided that you wanted to make your own decisions. Because you decided to choose freedom over a false peace!"

Roars of excitement followed his words.

"You are here today because you all desire the future! Not the past! Not the present! But you all want a future! You want to live in a world without fear of destruction! You want your children to live in a world without war! And their children! And their children's children!"

More cries of agreement shouted as Lelouch continued his speech.

"But we can't have that world!" Lelouch suddenly declared, silencing those in the room. "Not until the abomination known as Damocles and FLEIJA have been destroyed, and Prince Schneizel el Britannia pays for his crimes against the world!"

"He believes that we, as human beings, are incapable of having peace unless it is forced upon us! He believes that through the terror that mankind can make work together to make a better world! But he will see that his form of peace will cause us to rise against him and break his broken view of the world!"

"So now I ask all of you: Help me stop this madman from ruling this world with terror! Help me destroy this world that is living in the past and create a new one that embraces the future! A world where all people regardless of race, nationality, social standing, or otherwise-are equal! Where we don't have to wage wars to get what we desire!"

He then clenched his fist.

"My comrades," He looked out at the Britannian and Black Knight soldiers.

"My friends," His eyes then fell upon Milly, Rivalz, and Nina.

"My family!" He then looked at those who were standing beside him.

**"I ask you, I ask all of you!"** He then shot his fist in the air and declared with greater than ever before power in his voice!

**"RISE!"**

**A/N: And here we go, the battle for the world is on the Horizon and Lelouch will face his greatest challenge yet to defeat his greatest enemy!**

**Sorry, this didn't come out as soon as the others as I said, I wrote most of the chapters before I posted this story. This was the first chapter that I started from the moment I posted the last chapter, and it will be the same for the next.**

**Also the new Batsuit. I got the inspiration for that from a Youtube video. I figured having black and gold was more to Lelouch's colors than black and red. if you want a visual on what it might look like, search up 'yellow batsuit batman beyond and you'll at least have a visual of what it looks like.**

**By the way: I would like to see what ideas you could give me to add to the _Kin Kōmori, _I would very much like to hear what ideas you have and I'll see if I can include it in the Knightmare.**

**I hope you enjoy the story, read, and review!**

**Next time, Batman and his allies are the only ones standing between Schneizel and the destruction of billions of lives.**


	10. Battle for the World

**A/N: I don't own Code Geass or Batman beyond, they are amazing works that are not owned by me. **

**So in this chapter, you'll see some more Knightmare action! and the fate of the world is at stake.**

**I hope you all enjoy it!**

"The Damocles is rising steadily, about approximately 4 hours until it reaches the height of 300 kilometers." A bridge officer reported.

"Thank you, Marcos! Martha, any more communication from Prince Schneizel?" Ohgi asked the communication commander as he looked at a rearview screen of the superweapon rise higher in the air.

"No new messages so far!" Martha reported.

"Okay," Ohgi said almost hesitantly, "Continue monitoring the board and let me know if anything changes."

"Yes, supreme commander!" Martha reported as she turned back to the communication board.

Ohgi winced slightly at that last comment. Even after all this time, he still didn't feel as comfortable in a leadership position. He didn't when they were just a resistance cell, and even more so when Zero, no Lelouch, was revealed.

The Black Knights were called on guard duty of the Damocles by Prince Schneizel while it performed, as the second prince put it as, an 'exercise test'. While Ohgi was skeptical if it was just a test, he still complied with the request to guard the superweapon. Mostly because Prince Schneizel promised that if they did this, he would give them back Japan.

'_But even if we do get Japan back, then what?' _Ohgi thought as he gazed out at the storm that was outside the Ikaruga while a storm was brewing inside his soul.

For years Ohgi had been fighting to liberate his home country, he'd been doing it for so long that he thought he'd be doing it till he died. But now that it's finally within reach, Ohgi was scared. Scared of what he'd do after the war after Japan was free again. He was the leader of one of, if not _the_, most technologically advanced army in the world, but what does an army do if they don't have an enemy to fight?

He could go back to teaching, but his soul didn't quite feel as if he could go back to the way things were. After all, too much had changed for things to ever be simple again.

He had made choices he was both proud of and regretted deeply. He had fallen in love with a Britannian woman after all, and he had all but destroyed his relationship with Kallen. He hoped someday that she could accept the way things were, that way she could live on and be happy.

But would she be happy, would _he_ be happy in Japan that was going to be free now? While he knew by taking this deal he was betraying the allegiance between the UFN and the Black

Knights, but this was the best way that they could get Japan back without further bloodshed. He planned on telling the leadership soon, but he could never find the right time.

Perhaps once they got Japan back, they could make negotiations so that Britannia would leave the-

"I'm picking up a Knightmare signal!" The radar officer commended, shocking /ohgi out of his inner thoughts.

"L-location?!" Ohgi stuttered.

"Signal's about two kilometers right in front of us!" The officer answered. A screen was then pulled up on the Ikaruga's bridge, showing the image in the distance. "Magnifying now!" The screen then zoomed in on the object. Closer and closer.

When it finished zooming in, they couldn't quite make out the shape of the object, considering that it was black and was fitting in with the background excellently. Then, a flash of lightning illuminated the object!

The bridge occupants gasped at the object, but Ohgi's surprise then shifted quickly into anger. '_It's him!'_ He declared venomously in his mind.

Then, as if waiting for that lighting strike, gold glowing lines began running up the Knightmare's arms and legs all leading to a specific shape in the middle. The golden bat-like energy wing extended out wide. The Knightmare's eyes slowly glowed white, as if it was awakening from the bolt of lightning.

"Batman?!" Marcos shouted in surprise. Other members of the bridge began murmuring in surprise. "What's he doing here?! What business does a vigilante have with us and Prince Schneizel?!"

Ohgi already had an answer to that. Or at least, what he believed that answer was. '_Revenge.' _What better way to have it by denying them this chance to get Japan back after so much fighting.

Ohgi was about to call for them to attack when Martha shouted out. "Sir, the Knightmare is giving us a signal! The pilot is requesting to talk." Ohgi frowned at her words and looked back at the machine. She was right, it was indeed giving out a signal that meant it wished to talk with them.

Ohgi was about to ignore the signal when he realized if he did, then the Black Knights would become suspicious. "Put him on!" Ohgi practically spat. Martha, though reluctantly, did so.

The image of the bat-like Knightmare was then replaced with a figure dressed as a bat sitting in the cockpit of the machine. Those Black Knights present noticed a difference in his get-up, mostly the red bat symbol was now glowing gold.

Ohgi merely glared at the masked vigilante, or more precisely, the one behind the mask. The one who believed he could be a hero by simply wearing a new mask. The one who used all of them for his gains. The one who moved people as if they were pieces on a chessboard for his amusement.

"_Black Knights,"_ The Dark Knight began, his tone held no malice, or anger towards those in front of him, which honestly slightly surprised Ohgi. "_I want to make something clear right now: I have not come here to fight you."_

Ohgi merely scoffed, which surprised those present on the bridge. "Oh really? You haven't come here to fight?" Ohgi mocked slightly. "Then have you come here to surrender and face judgment?"

Batman gave a small laugh at the question. "_Sorry to disappoint you, but no, I'm not here to surrender."_ The vigilante informed them, then his face became serious again. "_Rather, I am here to offer you all a warning."_

"A warning you say?" Ohgi said, not quite believing him. "And what warning would that be?"

Batman took a deep breath to compose himself before he began. "_Prince Schneizel doesn't seek world peace. What he does seek is for world domination. Once the Damocles reaches a height of 300 kilometers, he will launch FLEIJA missiles all across the world at the major cities! All to show that he has the power to destroy all those who seek to oppose him!"_

The Black Knights present on the bridge, and in the Ikaruga itself, began to murmur as they processed the masked man's words. Was it true? Were they helping a man seek to become a tyrant of the world?

However, one voice spoke up in an argument with Batman's claim. "And why should we believe you?" Tohdoh the Miracle Worker said as he entered the bridge. "You threatened us when we once sought your help to gain back to Japan. And you wear a mask while Schneizel does not. So why should we believe a word you say?"

"_You had asked for me to do something that would go against a code I swore I would never break, no matter the circumstance. And I only threatened I would come after you if you had ever gotten in the way of my mission, nothing more, nothing less."_ Batman explained. "_As for my mask, everyone wears a mask to hide their true intentions, their true ideals, and their true feelings. It is not wrong to keep these things hidden, so long as those don't become harmful to innocent people and the people they care about. And isn't it hypocritical for you to say that you don't trust me because I wear a mask when you and your whole army followed a man who wore a mask who was much worse than I am?"_

The top brass of the Black Knights present was shocked by this accusation, and couldn't refute it. They all had followed a boy in a mask for over two years, and ironically, that same boy was calling them out on it.

Ohgi held his head down and clenched his fist in frustration. "That was a mistake on our part to do that." He said, shocking all Black Knights on board the Ikaruga that didn't know the 'truth'. "We didn't know what kind of man Zero was until after he was gone." Ohgi then looked up and glared with venom in his eyes at the masked vigilante. "The Black Knights don't need Zero anymore!" That caused an even greater shock to come upon those listening. "And we certainly don't need a man dressed as a bat telling us what to do!"

Batman merely sighed. "_I will repeat myself, I have not come here to fight you. My fight is with Schneizel and Schneizel alone. However, I will keep my promise from the rooftop: if you stand in the way of me or my mission, I will ruin you!"_ All those present that didn't know the truth, knew he meant those words. "_So I'm gonna ask you this one more time: stand aside!"_

Ohgi and Tohdoh merely glared at the masked vigilante that was on their screen. Ohgi then turned toward the weapons officer. "Have all weapons trained on that Knightmare immediately!" His orders shocked nearly all those present on the Ikaruga. "You all heard me! I want that Knightmare and its pilot destroyed! **DO IT NOW!"**

* * *

Batman sighed in disappointment as he closed the video after Ohgi gave his orders. '_I knew he would be angry and less than happy to listen to what I had to say, but I still had to try and warn him of Schneizel's plans.' _Lelouch thought as he heard the _Kin Kōmori's _warning signals go off, and saw that the Ikaruga's guns were beginning to target him. '_Well looks like we're doing this the hard way.'_

He then transformed the _Kin __Kōmori _into the Batmobile and sped off to the Ikaruga as it began firing its weapons at him. He allowed the suit to connect with the machine and help guide his actions to easily maneuver around the projectiles aimed at him. '_Have to admit, the upgrades Lloyd and Rakshata gave me and the __Kōmori __are working amazingly well!' _Lelouch thought as he smiled and continued to make his way to the Ikaruga.

He then hit the afterburner on the Batmobile and made it past the Ikaruga's outer defenses. He then transformed the machine back into the _Kin_ _Kōmori_ and skidded across the metal surface of the Ikaruga's upper deck, scrapping off chunks of metal as he landed. The Bat-like Knightmare then pulled two Batarangs out of its utility belt and threw them toward two cannon that were beginning to open fire on it. They made contact and began to steadily beep for a moment before they exploded, taking the turrets with them.

Batman then activated the _Kin __Kōmori's _land spinners and maneuvers on the Ikaruga's deck around the upper defenses. He weaved around cannon fire, missiles, etc. and was countering them with his arsenal. A freezing blast on a torrent, pulling a missile launcher out with a claw harken, short-circuiting a cannon with the REC gun, an explosive Batarang on any number of weapons. Even going in close and slashing apart a few turrets with the MVBs and MVCs.

* * *

Ohgi and Tohdoh stared in shock at the destruction that one Knightmare was bringing upon their ship. While he was already dangerous before he became Batman, it seemed that he was, even more, a force to be reckoned with now that he was in a new Knightmare. Even more so than he was a month ago.

However, Ohgi shook his head to regain his senses again. "Have the Knightmares take off and engage the Bat-like Knightmare, tell them to destroy it at all cost." The command sent shivers down the officers on the bridge spin.

"H-how many?" One nervous bridge officer stuttered to ask.

Tohdoh merely glared at the soldier before declaring, "_All_ of them!"

The bridge officer nodded in acknowledgment as he turned around and began to carry out the order. Tohdoh merely spun around and made his way to his Knightmare. He was going to make that boy pay for what he did to the Japanese Liberation Front.

* * *

As the _Kin __Kōmori _finished destroying another torrent, the alert system in the cockpit went off and a robotic female voice reported the alarm. _"Alert! Alert! Knightmares emerging from the Ikaruga!"_ Oracle, the Knightmare's new AI system developed by the combined efforts of Llyod, Rakshata, Nina, and Cecile warned him. Batman then looked to see that Knightmare frames were indeed beginning to exit the Ikaruga.

And it looked like all of them were invited to the party.

Leaping off the Ikaruga's upper deck, the _Kin __Kōmori _landed on the top of a Knightmare frame. The impact didn't kill the pilot, but it did damage its float system enough that it would fall safely to the ocean below. Then, extending it's now golden wings, the _Kin Kōmori _flew to intercept more targets.

Extending its MVCs, it slashed at the float system of two Knightmares sending them to the ground. It then turned back to the crowd, pulled out two Batarangs, and threw them at two incoming Knightmares. The sharp objects managed to cut through half the float system, causing them to fall.

A warning then sounded in the cockpit and Batman was able to bring the gold energy wings with the absolute defense system up just in time to protect against bullets being fired by a group of five or more Knightmares.

When the shooting stopped, the _Kin Kōmori _then pulled out the REC gun and aimed at the middle Knightmare. After making sure that the aim was accurate, Batman pulled the trigger on the handle in the cockpit and the REC gun let out a ball of blue energy.

When it collided with the middle mech, it then erupted and spread to the other five Knightmares in the group. The Knightmares had electricity dance around their metal hulls for a few moments before the electricity fried their systems and they fell to the ground.

Batman could help but smile at the upgrades Rakshata and Lloyd made. By charging the gun by holding onto the trigger, the REC gun could now spread the electricity to any nearby form of metal. And the electrical output was increased to be able to not only stun Knightmares but fry their systems completely, at least on Knightmares that haven't been customized like the group he just took out, also it needed time to cool off before it could be used again. They also wanted it to fry the pilot inside, but Lelouch refused.

Another group began to fire on the _Kin Kōmori_. Taking this opportunity to test out another new upgrade, the Knightmare put the REC rifle away and pulled out a gadget similar to the freeze blast. He then did a quick calculation in his head and threw the freeze blast in the middle of the group, where there were no Knightmares.

Though once the projectile made its way to the middle, the blast exploded and small, circular subzero particles were shout out all around the vicinity it exploded. The particles made contact with the Knightmare and began to freeze portions of Knightmares hulls, slowing them down. Taking this opportunity, the _Kin Kōmori _began to destroy the float systems of the Knightmares, causing them to drop into the ocean below.

Lelouch smiled at the new invention the two scientists made the Freeze Cluster Grenade. A variation of the Freeze Blast, it could instead attack multiple hostiles. However, the downside was that it wouldn't completely freeze or shut down a Knightmare's system. The most it did was slow down their performance and leave them open to attack.

Seeing two incoming Knightmares allowed Lelouch to test out another invention that Cecile made. The _Kin Kōmori _pulled out another weapon from its utility belt that seemed to look like a rifle, yet had a claw on the end. He moved to dodge the incoming frame by flipping upward and aimed at the back of one of the Knightmares. Doing quick calculations in his head, he then fired the claw projectile at the Knightmare on the right.

When the claw made contact, the other end fired to attach to the other frame. When it made contact, the two frames were viciously pulled together and smashed into each other's backs, crushing the Float system on both frames. They fell into the ocean.

The Remote Claw: it fires a claw-like projectile to an object, then ejects to another, then pulls the two objects together. If one weighs more, the lighter weight will be pulled to the heavier and smashed into it. And if Lelouch played his cards right, he could be able to take out a squad of Knightmares by stringing a trap, but he lacked the environment now to do so now.

Then noticing a group of close-combat type Knightmares was closing in on him, Batman smiled in anticipation, ready to test out his favorite new feature. Glowing gold circuit lines began to race up his the arms of his suit from the handles as a screen showed up in the cockpit with Oracle stating: _"Shock gauntlets activated."_

_Kin Kōmori _then slammed its knuckles together and then yellow electricity trickled up its hands and forearms. The _Kin Kōmori _then charged after the attacking frames.

It came up to the first and landed the first punch, causing the frames to erupt with yellow electricity dancing all over it. The attack stunned the machine slightly until the _Kin Kōmori _landed another punch that sent it flying.

It then grabbed the metal limb of another Knightmare that raised its sword to attack. The Knightmare began to shake uncontrollably as the electricity began to fry its systems. The _Kōmori_ gripped it with another hand and threw it over its shoulder into another frame, causing the electricity to be transferred to that frame as well.

Two frames wielding swords came down on the _Kin Kōmori _from the left and right_. _The bat-like machine then brought its forearm blades to block the strikes. It then pushed the blades off it, then dug its electric hands into the torsos of the Knightmares. Then brought the two frames in front of it and caused them to smash into each other's backs, crushing the float system. He released them and they fell into the water below.

Though right when they were out of his view, another Knightmare came down on the _Kin Kōmori! _Having a performance ability that matches, and quite possibly exceeds, that of both the _Guren_ and the _Lancelot_, the _Kōmori _was able to evade all those strikes with ease.

Then, almost as if the Knightmare was frustrated with this repetitive missing, it raised its sword high to deliver a finishing blow. Moving fast the _Kōmori _placed both its electrified hands on both sides of the Knightmare's head! The electricity caused an overload to the Knightmares systems, causing it to drop its hands, along with its sword, to the side.

After a moment or two, the _Kōmori _released the enemy frame, brought its hands up, locked them together, and slammed down on the enemy frames head! The blow was strong enough to knock the metal head off the Knightmare!

Batman then let it fall head first, not that it had its head, into the ocean. Doing a quick scan of the frame, Lelouch was relieved to find the pilot was alive, yet he was unconscious with the amount of electricity and brute force applied to him and his Knightmare. The _Kin Kōmori _then brought its hands up to see that the yellow electricity begin to die down.

The shock gauntlets: A set of electrified gauntlets that could increase the _Kin Kōmori _physical strikes by a multiple of two, four if he timed it right. It was great to use when penetrating a Knightmare's defenses and heavy armor plating. However, to charge the gauntlets, he had to build up a level of kinetic energy within a quick time, or in layman's terms, he needed to hit a lot before he could use the gloves. Also, it was a temporary effect that would decrease faster the harder the _Kin Kōmori _hit something.

Batman was pulled from his thoughts when a single slash harkens somehow wrapped itself around the _Kin Kōmori's _left arm. He turned to see that a Knightmare was able to wrap it and began pulling. He brought it's right hand up to cut the line, but another slash harken wrapped around that metal limb as well and the Knightmare it belonged to pulled.

Two more slash harkens were fired from two other Knightmares below the frame that wrapped around the legs of the frame. Another was fired from above that wrapped around the Knightmare's waist and pulled. The _Kin Kōmori _became trapped by the five Knightmares. Batman growled in frustration from his moment of being distracted.

The _Kin Kōmori's _joints began to become strained due to the force being applied. He then got another warning on the system's sensor. _"Alert! Enemy cannon targeting!"_ Oracle reported. He looked up and saw that a group of four Knightmare was aiming a large cannon at him.

"_This will finish you for sure!" _Confidently yelled the pilot of the Knightmare holding the trigger of the cannon.

"Don't be so sure of yourselves!" Batman countered.

Acting fast, Batman pressed a series of buttons in the cockpit that pulled up another screen with Oracle reading: _'Electrical discharge activated'._

Suddenly, the _Kin Kōmori's_ body was enveloped with golden electricity, yet it caused no harm to the giant mechanical Bat-frame. To its captors, however, was a different story. The electricity traveled up and down the metal cables back to their owner's Knightmares, causing them to cease pulling. The pilot's inside could feel the intense shock to their nervous system, however, it didn't kill them.

Taking this opportunity, and borrowing a move from Suzaku when he broke Tohdoh out of prison years ago, the _Kin Kōmori _began to do a 360-degree spin, causing the Knightmares to fly over to him. Then delivering a spin kick, knocked them all down to the ocean below.

At that moment, the large cannon held by the Knightmares fired. Reaching into its belt, the _Kin Kōmori _pulled out smoke pellets that hit the large bullet and caused it to explode.

"_Did we get him!?"_ The trigger man said, believing that they had destroyed their target.

However, that hope was in vain, as the golden bat-like energy wings of the bat-like frame emerged from the smoke and charged the group that dared fire upon it. The pilots, especially the triggerman, let out a scream equivalent to that of a scared little girl as the _Kin Kōmori _brought its claws down upon them.

* * *

"He's tearing them all to pieces!" Diethard shouted in disbelief as he just saw the bat-like frame destroy, or more accurately disable, the Knightmares that just attempted to destroy it. He, along with Schneizel and Kanon was watching the battle in a throne room onboard the Damocles.

Schneizel just looked on with an integrated look as he saw the frame that represented his brother's new identity continue to tear into the Black Knights army. He had his engineering department analyze the Knightmare that was able to take down three rounds, including the Knight of One, in hopes of better preparing for it.

However, it seemed that it was mostly in vain, as now the machine was operating at a performance level not seen in any Knightmare of this time. And not only that, Lelouch's piloting skills have increased greatly as well, which caused Schneizel to remember who was Lelouch's mother.

And as he looked closer at the frame, he saw hints of work that belonged to both the Black Knights and the Britannian military's best engineers. Schneizel frowned as he finally figured it out. '_So that's where you ran off to Aspune, and the Indian woman too! Over to my brother's side! It appears that the human race truly doesn't want peace, even those who are supposed to build it up help to destroy. No matter. I will simply destroy you all!'_

He then pressed a button on his throne. "Throne room to the hanger, this is Prince Schneizel," Schneizel said into the comm. "Have the engineers get the personal units of the Knights of the Round ready for combat."

"_What frames do you want to send out Your Highness?"_

"All of them." Was Schneizel's reply. The reply caused both Diethard and Kanon to look in shock at the Second Prince. He was gonna send out all of the available Knights?

"_A-all of them?!"_ The lead mechanic stuttered wondering if he heard correctly.

"_All _of them!" Schneizel repeated, yet his tone was now icier than before.

It took a few moments for the lead mechanic to find his voice again. _V-very well, Your Highness!" _

The Second Prince then looked back at the battle happening on the monitor. He smiled sinisterly. "Well gentlemen, I believe it's time we entered the game!" Then motioned to turn on the communication for the Knight's lounge.

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea!?" Rivalz asked Milly as they moved closer to a helicopter. It was a chopper meant for news companies that Lelouch's team was able to… 'borrow' for this purpose since Milly was banned from all news stations after she revealed Schneiziel's experiments. Rivalz was currently holding a camera they also… 'borrowed' from a news company.

"No!" Was Milly's reply as she continued walking to the chopper as it was getting started. They were about 5 miles away from the one-man battle that was taking place between Lelouch and the Black Knights. "But what the heck, let's do it anyway."

Same old Milly. The one who was never afraid to do something dangerous if it meant she could learn more about someone's past. The girl who loved to get the scope on something and expose it to the world.

But, there was something she was afraid of.

"You know," She began somewhat hesitant as she turned back to Rivalz, "You don't have to come with me. I can operate that camera alone, and people will know my voice. You don't have to come and risk your life Rivalz."

The blue-haired boy looked up at the blonde in slight shock for a moment processing her words. After a moment he found the right words to say. "I've always been on the sidelines," He began, looking down in sadness, "When Lelouch was gambling, I just stood by and watched. When people were dying, I just stood by and watched. I've never done anything to help others, except by driving them places."

He then looked up at Milly with a fire in his eyes that no one had ever seen before in him. "Well no more!" Rivalz declared. "No more just standing by and watching while Lelouch, Suzaku, Kallen, you, or anyone else does all the cool stuff! This time, Rivalz Cardemonde is gonna be a boss superhero!"

Milly just stared dumbfounded at the boy. Sure he wasn't doing anything that significant, but to hear it meant so much to him, and what he had to suffer through, made her heart melt. Maybe she underestimated him after all?

He then gave off a goofy smile. "And who knows, maybe once we save the world, the ladies will all want to date me for a change!" He declared with a goofy grin.

'_And he's back!'_ Milly said fondly in her head as she shook it. She then made her way to board the helicopter when Rivalz's hand shot out and grabbed hers. She turned and looked at the boy, his goofy and class clown behavior gone as he adopted a serious expression.

"What's wrong Rivalz?" Milly asked, confused at his actions. Was he having second thoughts?

"Uh-um-uh." Rivalz stuttered as he looked for the correct words to say. "This is probably the worst time to ask this." He gave off a nervous smile and laughed.

"Ask what?" Milly questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Taking a deep breath, along with stealing his nerves and body, he asked: "What are doing tomorrow?"

Milly's mouth was hung wide open at the boy's question. '_**SERIOUSLY?!' **_Milly practically screamed in her head. "Rivalz Cardemonde, are you seriously asking me that now when we're going into a battle that could kill us?!" Milly cried in disbelief.

"Yeah! I am!" Rivalz answered in a serious tone, shocking Milly.

After a few moments of silence, Rivalz gave off a bright smile and rubbed the back of his head. "No plans? Great!"

Milly only held her mouth open as she stared at him. "**GET IN THE HELICOPTER!"** Milly screamed at the top of her lungs. Rivalz quickly agreed, yet he couldn't keep the smile off his face. Milly groaned as she followed him in and shut the door behind her.

"Strap yourselves in!" The pilot told them as he began to do a checklist of the systems before take off.

When the Helicopter rodders began to spin, Milly took this time to pull out her phone and dial a specific number. After a few rings, the person picked up the call. "Sayoko?" Milly asked the loyal maid/ninja that once belonged to the Ashford family before she went to Lelouch and Nunnally.

"_Lady Milly?"_ Sayoko's voice came through the phone, sounding surprised, and a little exhausted. Wonder what's happening? "_Are you in position for the broadcast?"_

"We're just about to take off," Milly confirmed. The rotors on the helicopter were now roaring, signaling that the time of liftoff was approaching in seconds. "Where are you? Are you in position?"

* * *

"Working on it Lady Milly!" Sayoko reported as she just finished taking down the last of the soldiers that had ambushed her while making the way to her destination.

Sayoko was currently in the news headquarters of the corporation that Milly had worked for before she was chased away by Schneizel. To make sure Milly's broadcast could be seen by the world, and so they could reveal the true intentions of Schneizel, they needed to be connected to the companies servers so they could broadcast under that name.

It was easy getting in, thanks to the knowledge Milly had of the building, but hardening finding a path to the servers without running into guards. Schneizel must've had an idea that they would try to dirty his name again and planned accordingly.

She made an unlucky turn and came across a group of three soldiers. Yet she was able to make quick work of them before they could alert others of her presence. She took this as a sign that she was getting closer to her goal.

After making a few twists and turns and coming across a couple of pairs of guards, she had found her target.

She entered the server room and gasped at the size of it. She knew that news companies must have had large amounts of storage, but she greatly underestimated how much _this _company had.

Thankfully, she knew what she was looking for. Though it took some time, she found a server labeled; 'connection to news camera'. She reached into a bag she was carrying and plugged it into the server.

She then activated her comlink. "The data is being sent over to you now, do what you can and hurry!" She demanded of the other end.

* * *

"Yes, Miss Sayoko!" Nina said as she quickly hacked into the news corporation's mainframe. If she was caught doing this by any law enforcement, she would probably suffer time in jail, a lot of time, something the old Nina was afraid of.

But after you destroy a whole city and create a weapon that a madman wants to use to hold the world hostage, you have little fear about what happens when you do something that may lead to jail time for only a few years.

After she got confirmation she was in, she then proceeded to download the audio file recorded by Cornelia and Nonnette. The bar showed up and was moving slowly across the screen. In the meantime, she began linking the company's network to the camera that Rivalz was using so that he and Milly could broadcast the battle when ready.

* * *

The _Kin Kōmori _just finished disabling another Knightmare when the warning lights in the cockpit went off and Oracle alerted him to an incoming Knightmare to his right. Turning toward the direction, Batman's eyes widened when he saw the _Zangetsu,_ Tohdoh's Knightmare frame, charge straight at him, its sword raised high.

Acting quickly, the _Kin __Kōmori _was able to bring its forearm blades up just in time to block the attack from the _Zangetsu's _sword. However, the force behind the attack was enough to push the _Kōmori _back.

Batman growled in annoyance. Facing the army of the Black Knights alone was one thing, but having to fight against one of the best devicers in the army was another story! While Lelouch had been trained by two Knights of the Round and the 'Goddess of Victory' along with Jeremiah, would that training be enough to stand up to someone like Tohdoh?

Sure he was able to stand up against three rounds with an injured soldier, but that was mostly because they knew nothing about him or the Knightmare he piloted. But Tohdoh knew how Lelouch operates and had an idea what this Knightmare was capable of. Could Lelouch be able to defeat the Miracle worker?

He was pulled out of his thought when the warning systems flared again and he moved to barely block an attack from an _Akatsuki Command Model_, a unit that Chiba pilots, along with the other members of the late Four Holy Swords. Chiba was the one who trusted him the least when he was Zero, so she probably felt really happy to have this chance to stop him.

He then grabbed the _Akatsuki _and threw it to the side, however, he was met with a kick from the _Zangetsu,_ which caused him to be thrown around in his cockpit slightly. He was able to regain his balance just in time to regain his indigo energy wings to block an attack from a Baryon Cannon.

The _Kōmori _was trembling from the pressure it received from the energy blast, but the absolute defense system in the wings held up. Finally, the stream of energy stopped and Lelouch looked to see _Shen Hu_ cooling off from the attack.

Lelouch grimaced. Tohdoh, Chiba, and Li were all gunning for him. While he most likely would be able to defeat one of them, maybe even two, he wouldn't be able to take all three before he had to pull back.

The _Zangetsu_ then began hailing the _Kin __Kōmori, _and Lelouch accepted the call.

"_Did you ever expect to see this Lelouch?" _Tohdoh's voice rang through the _Kin __Kōmori's _cockpit, his tone holding malice within it. "_That the people you rose from nothing and treated as nothing but pawns rising to defeat you? Did you ever see something like this Lelouch in your brilliant mind?"_

Lelouch knew Tohdoh was trying to provoke him by mocking him. Then the _Kin __Kōmori _picked up another hailing from the _Akatsuki_.

"_What? You have nothing to say?" _Chiba's voice now came through. "_The great Zero is silent when faced with his crimes and when the truth about him is exposed? Or is it you refuse not to answer when you have to admit that you didn't know something?"_

Again, Lelouch made no move to interject or interrupt. He just let them get what was bothering them out of their systems, perhaps it will make them feel better about themselves.

"_You are simply a scum Lelouch vi Britannia!" _Li's voice now echoed in the _Kin __Kōmori's _cockpit_. "You make yourself seem good and justified, but in reality, you are nothing but a liar and a manipulator who's after nothing but power! You would see the whole world burn just to accomplish your goals!"_

Again, they were met with silence.

Finally, Lelouch spoke. "You're not wrong." Lelouch simply said, shocking those present. "I was a liar and manipulator. And when I am faced with my crimes I realize just how evil I truly am. And no Tohdoh, I never did see you all rising against me."

The three were speechless. Zero usually would never admit he was wrong about something or that if others were right in a negative aspect of his character.

"I've made a lot of mistakes, some that I know I will never be forgiven of." The faces of Shirley, Euphie, and Rolo entered his mind. "But because of that…"

The _Kin Kōmori's _eyes then burned bright white that almost made it seem it had a fire that matched its pilot. "I can't give up!" Batman declared to the three of them, shocking them again. "It is because of those mistakes, because of who I was, that I must continue! Otherwise, everything I had ever done as Zero would have been meaningless good and bad, and all the people who died because of me would have died in vain!"

The _Kin __Kōmori _then charged the closest Knightmare, which was Chiba's, and knocked it back with a kick. That caused the _Zangetsu_ to raise its blade and bring it down upon the bat-like Knightmare. However, the _Kōmori _caught the blade in its left forearm blades, swung it aside and delivered a powerful uppercut with its right hand.

The _Shen Hu _then threw an electrified slash harken around the _Kin __Kōmori's _right arm, sending the electricity flowing through the frame. But thanks to the modifications made by Lloyd and Rakshata, the _Kin __Kōmori _was able to take the current. It then grabbed the harken's line with its left and pulled the _Shen Hu _toward it. Then it delivered a powerful kick to the frames head which knocked it away.

The _Akatsuki _then came charging toward the bat-like Knightmare and began swinging its sword to try and destroy the frame. But the _Kin __Kōmori _was able to block and evade the strikes until it got the blade locked in its MVBs.

The two devicers struggled to get the upper hand, and it looked as if Batman was winning when an alarm in his cockpit went off. Looking toward what the warning was indicating his eyes widened. '_Oh no!' _His mind panicked.

However, that moment of distraction cost him as Chiba was able to break the lock and deliver a kick to the _Kin __Kōmori_. She was about to continue when Tohdoh's voice rang in her cockpit. "_Chiba! Look out!"_ He warned pointing in a direction with his Knightmare's hand.

Turning to where her commander was indicating, her eyes widened when she saw a red-black streak of energy indicating a hardon cannon blast was coming straight toward her. She should be able to move, but for some reason, she froze in fear. The fear of facing the end, and not being able to do what you wished to the most.

But death would not greet Nagisa Chiba today. As was evident when she, and her Knightmare were furiously pulled from the path of the red beam. She turned to her savior, Tohdoh she believed, to thank him, only to find that it wasn't Tohdoh that saved her. Her eyes widened in pure shock as the line that had just saved her life belonged to the man she had just tried to destroy mere seconds ago.

Tohdoh, for his part, was completely caught off guard to see that Zero had just saved someone who he said he considered a pawn. '_Or did he see us like that at all?' _Tohdoh thought as he was beginning to put together the pieces of a puzzle he was blinded to. For the first time since the betrayal, Tohdoh now felt doubt about whether turning against Lelouch was the right thing to do. Could it be that they were being manipulated all along by Schneizel?

Lelouch, for his part, was triangulating the location of the blast that nearly obliterated Chiba. When he did, he magnified the image and grimaced when he saw the _Mordred_ with its Hardon cannon extended and pointing towards him. That shot was meant for him, but most of the Knights don't care who they kill unless they accomplish their goals.

Speaking of Knights, it seems that the remaining Knights were here for the 'party'. The _Florence_, the knight of twelve's frame, the _Palomides, _the Knight of Fours frame, The _Tristan_, Gino's frame, and the _Galahad_, Bismark's frame.

In all honesty, Lelouch never thought he'd be facing the Knights until Milly and the others were able to broadcast the message. But it seems he overestimated Schneizel's patience. He'll just have to hold out for as long as he could until the others had completed their part of the plan.

Taking a deep breath, he extended the _Kin Kōmori's _gold energy bat wings out wide and charged the incoming Rounds and Knightmares!

* * *

Within the UNF's conference room aboard Hori Island, the man-made island given to the Black Knights by the Chinese Federation, the delegates watched the battle through camera systems that were on the Ikaruga, much like how a battleship would view a battle.

And all of the delegates held faces of bewilderment and confusion at this battle taking place. Even more when the Knights of the Round entered the fray.

"I guess that this 'Batman' really is crazy." One voiced out the thoughts of everyone in the room. "After all, going head-to-head with the Black Knights, and the Second Prince is brave, yet borderline stupid."

"Though it's hard not to admire the man for his courage." Another voiced out. "I mean, didn't Zero attempt to do things on this level once before?"

There were some agreements with the man's statement. However, one voiced her disagreement. "I would more say it is insanity than courage he is displaying. While Zero did such things like this, he at least had an army of force assisting him. Yet this Batman is operating alone."

"Well do you think a man who dresses up as a bat has a lot of friends?" Another voiced out. The answer was obvious.

While the delegates continued to debate, the Chairwoman of the UFN just watched the battle, if it could be called, that with amazement. Tianzi and Villetta, whom Ohgi sent over to Hori Island for protection, were standing beside her.

She had been informed by the Black Knights who Zero was, and that Lelouch was also Batman now. However, she had a slight feeling that her 'husband' was the man behind the mask of the new figure in the world.

She was astonished by his accomplishments when he was Zero, and his capabilities when he was under that mask. Now seeing what he could do as this new persona was amazing. Yet it broke her heart that they were on opposite sides. Yet she had to be strong to lead this organization.

While she hadn't agreed with the alliance with Schneizel after they saw all the horrible things he had done to those people, the Black Knight high command had convinced her that trusting the Second Prince was in the best interest of Japan. She still had her doubts, but she agreed to work with him, for now.

* * *

The cockpit of the _Kin Kōmori _shook violently as it was knocked aside by an attack from the _Tristan_. Batman was barely able to regain his balance before he had to bring the MVB up to block an attack from the _Galahad_.

'_This isn't going so well!' _Lelouch told himself in his head as he managed to get out of the blade lock. Only to get blindsided by the Knightmare owned and piloted by the Knight of Four by a strike to the back.

The _Kin __Kōmori _tumbled around before Lelouch was able to find balance. Only just barely able to dodge an attack from the _Mordred_ and its Hardon Beam. After moving out of the way, he was met by the _Shen_ _Hu_ as it gave a right punch across the bat-like Knightmare's face. He was then met by a kick of the _Akatsuki_ and was just barely able to block a sword slash from Tohdoh's Knightmare. The suddenness of the attack was able to knock him back.

Lelouch breathed heavily, trying to catch his breath. While he was more skilled in a Knightmare than he once was, greatly so, he still wasn't up to Suzaku's level of performance, and only was able to hold out this long due to his advanced Knightmare. But against these many aces, he wasn't able to hold up.

The warning lights went off again! _"Warning! Warning! Power low! Hull integrity down to 60%! Warning! Enemy Knightmare emerging from Damocles!"_ Oracle said. He then looked up to see that even more Knightmares were flooding out of the Damocles now.

"_I must say, Batman, I'm impressed." _Schneizel's voice rang out through the battlefield. "_I've never seen anyone able to hold themselves against the forces of the Black Knights, and the Knights of the Round as long as you have." _

Lelouch growled at the compliment that Schneizel was giving him. Mainly because he knew that his psychotic brother meant it.

"_But now you are outmatched, outnumbered, and outgunned." _Lelouch could just hear the sadistic smile his brother was wearing when he said those words. "_Death is all but certain. So surrender now, and I will assure you, your death will be quick." _

Lelouch gritted his teeth at his brother's ultimatum. He knew that Schneizel was serious about granting him a quick death, yet that did nothing to quell the rage building up in Lelouch's spirit.

"Dang it!" Batman yelled to himself in the cockpit of the _Kin __Kōmori_ as he saw how low the energy levels were on his Knightmare, evident by the inside darkening and be flooded with red warning lights_. _He pulled off his mask and sighed. He then closed his eyes in defeat and muttered to himself. "I can't take them all alone."

"_You won't have too!" _Said a new voice.

Lelouch's eyes shot wide open at the voice he heard over the comm frequency in _Kōmori. 'Is that-'_

He didn't get to finish as all of a sudden, a green ball of energy shot into the crowd of Knightmare aces, causing them all to scatter. Then more green orbs were fired, now at the Knightmares on the outside, destroying them.

"What was that?!" Knight of Four Dorthana Erst shouted as she looked around for the sign of the shooter.

She got her answer when a white Knightmare suddenly flew down and stood protectively in front of the _Kin Kōmori._ Green energy wings were extended outward. In its hands, it was holding two upgraded VARIS rifles. But what caused those present on the battlefield to shake, was that the Knightmare had a striking resemblance to a well-known Knightmare both feared and hated by both Britannia and the Black Knights.

"That's… that's the-" Gino stuttered to get the words out, but was caught too off guard from the appearance.

The Knight of One, however, was just glaring at the Knightmare with rage in his eyes. Such that he was able to finish Gino's sentence with venom in his voice. "_Lancelot_!"

And indeed, the _Lancelot_, or more accurately, the _Lancelot_ _Albion_, stood before the mass army of Knightmares, and protectively in front of the bat-like frame behind it.

"This is _Lancelot_ _Albion_ pilot Suzaku Kururugi hailing the pilot of the _Kin Kōmori!" _Suzaku stated in a private comm frequency between the two of them. "Hey, Lelouch, how are you doing?" He asked with a smile.

For his part, Lelouch was completely taken off guard by the appearance of his best friend/worst enemy in his new Knightmare. Sure he expected him to come, but not so soon. His face held a complete amount of shock no one had ever seen before on his face, even when it was revealed that Suzaku was the pilot of the Lancelot in the first place.

"Suzaku?" He muttered as he stared at the Knightmare that had always caused him so much trouble now come to his rescue. His face then shifted to one of anger as he roared out his next statement. "What are you doing here?! It's too early!"

Suzaku simply sighed at Lelouch's 'attempt' at a 'thank you'. '_Some things never change I guess' _Suzkau thought with a smile as he answered him back with a question of his own. "Do I need to answer that?" He asked rhetorically as he continued to gaze at an angry Lelouch through his video monitor. "I thought you were supposed to be the smart one. Guess things have changed?"

"No! You're still an idiot!" Lelouch countered. "You were supposed to wait until Milly broadcast the message to attack!"

"Well, there hasn't been any sign of any broadcast made by Miss Ashford as of yet." A new voice entered the private channel between the two. Lelouch then turned to see Cornelia rising to join him and Suzaku. Multiple Knightmare Frames that were a part of his 'army' came up to join her. Including Jeremiah and Nonnette in their respective frames.

"Cornelia, Jeremiah?! What're you doing here?! You were supposed to come out along with Suzaku!" Lelouch yelled out, his fury rising more by this insubordination.

"If you believe I'm going to follow orders given to me by my little brother, then you do have a problem with understanding people," Cornelia started with a small humorous smile. "Besides, while I can't forgive you for what happened to Euphie, I can't just let you die while you're trying to make up for it. Besides, Euphie wouldn't want any more death in this family, and neither would Nunnally."

Lelouch's face fell more when Cornelia mentioned the only two truly good members of the Royal family, who unfortunately were now deceased. Lelouch then turned to Jeremiah in his customized _Sutherland Sieg_.

"I meant no way to disobey your orders, My Lord," Jeremiah began, looking down apologetically, before raising his head in determination again, "But I cannot allow you to die before you fulfill your greatest conquest!"

"And you were getting your butt handed to you like old times. So I had to step in." Suzaku stated in a humorous matter-of-factly sort of tone, which caused Lelouch to groan. "Besides…" The _Lancelot_ then turned to face the bat-like Knightmares, reaching into its backside and pulled out a familiar-looking object in its hands.

"An energy filler?" Lelouch asked no one in particular as his mind flashed back. To the time when he had just saved Suzaku from certain death from invading Chinese forces two years ago. Like now, Lelouch, in the _Gawan_ had given Suzaku an energy filler to recharge the _Lancelot_. But it represented more than that, it symbolized both of them working together to charge into battle and defeat a common enemy.

"With the two of us working together, there's nothing that we can't accomplish together!" Suzaku continued, switching the communication back to the public so everyone could hear them, as he held out the energy filler for the Dark Knight to take. "So what'd say, Batman?"

Those present watched the exchange between the two warriors. Those who knew the history of these two, the things from which they suffered, and the suffering they caused on each other, watch with great interest and curiosity, wondering what Lelouch would do. Those that didn't know simply waited for orders from their superiors.

Finally, after what seemed to be a long moment of silence, Lelouch gave a small laugh. "What do I say Suzaku?" Lelouch repeated as he pulled the mask over his face again, his eyes filled with a renewed determination.

The _Kōmori _then extended its hand and take hold of the energy filler in the _Lancelot's. _"I say, let's make the impossible possible!" Batman finished.

The _Kōmori _then placed the energy filler in the compartment. Instantly, the _Kin Kōmori's _systems went up to full power, the red lights in the cockpit receding, and returned to normal as Batman opened his white eyes and gazed at the enemy forces. _"Systems charged, ready to proceed!" _Oracle reported.

"Glad to hear it Oracle!" Batman said, smirking, he then turned to face the army of Knightmares. "Here my reply to your 'generous' offer Schneizel el Britannia!" Batman began, his voice filling with great power. "I am Batman! And I will not surrender to you, or anyone who seeks to enforce their twisted ideals over the world! Charles zi Britannia believed that the world would be better off if it focused solely on the past! You believe that humanity will prosper if it remains in the present! But you both are wrong! What humanity needs to prosper and become better is to embrace the future."

The _Kin Kōmori _then extended out wide its gold bat-like energy wings to further emphasize his point. "And I will fight for that future! Along with Suzaku Kururugi, Cornelia li Britannia, Jeremiah Gottwald, and anyone else who longs to have a future! That is my answer to your offer, Schneizel!"

The whole battlefield waited for the Second Prince to give his response.

Finally, Schneizel's voice echoed throughout the sky. "_All forces, resume the attack! Destroy Batman and his allies completely!"_

Those on the Second Princes side complied and charged the army that had come to Batman's aid.

* * *

"Looks like things are heating up over there!" Rivalz stated as he watched the battle going on in the distance. It had been a solid thirty minutes since they took off, and they hadn't received any kind of news from Sayoko.

Milly then opened her phone and called the ninja/maid. "Sayoko! The battle's heating up! And I'm not sure how long Lelouch and the others can take the heat! How much longer do you need?!"

* * *

"I'm almost done, Lady Milly! I'm 95 percent complete!" Sayoko reported as she squatted in a corner with the computer laid down at her side with a gun in her hands.

Honestly, this would have been completed ages ago if the Britannians weren't on to her and tried to slow down and stop the download. However, Nina, Lloyd, Rakshata, and Cecile, were working around it. When they realized that their firewalls weren't working, they sent teams to try and shut down the link physically.

The attempts distracted Sayoko from doing her end and slowed her down. But now she was finished with her part and just had to wait for the download to complete for her to send the confirmation to the others.

She took a peek out, but back behind again when more gunfire came and nearly hit her in the head. When she heard the gunfire cease, she pointed her gun out and fired. She heard the cry of someone getting their knee blown out, before backing behind the corner again.

She glanced down at the laptop which held the download bar. _98 percent!_ '_Come on! Come on!' _Sayoko spoke in her mind. More gunfire came, meaning they had reinforcements.

_99 percent!_

Sayoko reached into her pocket and pulled out a small hand grenade. It was meant to be her ticket out of there, but she may have to use it early so that she could finish her job!

A sudden ping pulled her out of her last thoughts as she looked over to the computer screen. '100 percent! Download complete. Do you wish to send code to the user listed? Yes or No?'

Sayoko moved to press, but a lucky, or unlucky bullet depending on who you ask, hit her in her left shoulder. She yelped at the pain but was still able to select 'Yes'_._

She then backed behind the corner and tapped her earpiece. "Lady Milly, You are clear to broadcast! Repeat you are clear to broadcast!" Sayoko confirmed as he pulled the pin on the grenade and threw it toward her shooters. They gasped in surprise and tried to move before it was too-

**BOOM!**

-late!

* * *

"We're good to go Rivalz!" Milly told her companion as he began to ready the camera. "She looked over to the battle on the horizon. "Just hold out a little longer guys." She muttered to herself.

* * *

"_We can't hold out much longer!" _A pilot shouted as he struggled to fight his way out of the group of enemy frames he entangled himself in. however, his efforts were for naught as the next second, he and his Knightmare were obliterated.

Gilford merely gritted his teeth. While they had advanced Knightmares courtesy of the two 'eggheads', they were still vastly outnumbered. But Guilford was going to go down without fighting. Not by a long shot!

He pulled out his lance and charged the incoming Knightmare Frames. "**FOR PRINCESS CORNELIA!" **He shouted as he charged the enemy frames.

* * *

Having heard her knights cry of loyalty for her, Cornelia couldn't help but blush. No matter how far you go back, Guilford always cared about her. But she always thought it was a knight's devotion to her charge, but then she realized it was much more than that.

Guilford truly did love and admire her. And did not treat her as one of his women. And she too had come to grow feelings for him. Maybe when this was over, they could make something work.

But right now, she had to focus on her battle, which was with the Knight of twelve. She managed to dodge the attack and deliver her own, only for the blades she had to lock with the Knight's Knightmare.

"Now what is a Britannian Princess doing by siding with a masked fool trying to dethrone Prince Schneizel?" Monica asked as they struggled.

"A dream," Cornelia answered softly.

"What?" Monica said, caught off guard.

"A dream. Not my own. But a dream held by two of, if not the, best of us!" Cornelia declared as her mind went to the faces of two younger versions of the people she shouted out as she broke the blade lock. "**FOR EUPHIE AND NUNNALLY!"**

* * *

Nonnette ended up getting stuck with the Knight of Four. And while she may have been ranked higher than her, Nonnette wasn't making it easy on Dorothea. Not with the advancements added to her Knightmare.

"Why Nonnette?!" Dorothea demanded as she swung her blade at Nonnette's Knightmare and missed. "Why throw your position as around away for that scum who murdered our Emperor?!"

Nonnette thought about it for a moment then shrugged. "I couldn't just leave little Nelly alone now could I?" She said in a playful voice. Then added. "Plus, to be honest, I don't like Schneizel!"

* * *

Suzaku just slashed at the _Galahad_. With the upgrades made to the _Lancelot_, Suzaku was able to face Bismark on even footing and even slightly greater. It's funny, a few months ago, Suzkau had been working tirelessly to earn the position of the Knight of One. but now he was fighting the man who held that position to the death to obtain his new goal.

"Why boy?!" Bismark growled as he shoved Suzaku away from him with a slice of his sword. "Why would you throw away everything you are and could become for that piece of scum?!" Their blades locked again.

"Isn't the answer obvious?!" Suzaku asked him as the _Lancelot_ pushed the _Galahad_ away out of the blade lock. He then pointed one of the _Lancelot's_ MVS at the _Galahad_ threateningly. "**BECAUSE THAT WORTHLESS PIECE OF SCUM IS MY FRIEND!"** He then charged the Galahad again.

* * *

"Is this what you want Gino?!" Lelouch asked as the _Kin __Kōmori _threw a Batarang at the _Tristan_, who just dodged it and charged the bat-like frame. "Suzaku once told me that you are a good person, and I believe him! But is this the kind of Britannia you wish to serve?!"

Gino merely brought the _Tristan's_ blades down upon the _Kin __Kōmori, _which blocked the attack with its MVBs. "I believe that it can change for the better with time and work!" Gino declared as he pushed against the opposing frame.

"Oh my goodness! You're almost as bad as Suzaku, back when he was naive and an idiot!" Lelouch complained, as he broke the lock between the Knightmare and had the _Kin __Kōmori _deliver a roundhouse to Tristan which knocked it back. "You can't change Britannia unless you either have a time machine to go to when it was founded or if your Emperor! And since one of those is fictional and your not royalty, you can't change Britannia!"

The _Kin __Kōmori _then pulled out the REC gun and was about to fire, but a quick slash harken fired from the _Tristan_ hit the gadget out of its hand and caused it to explode. "You could've!" Gino declared as he again charged the bat-like frame. "You could've changed the Empire after killing the Emperor! But instead, you had to become a vigilante and do things the hard way!"

"I don't want to be the Emperor!" Lelouch declared as he pulled out a freeze blast. However, Gino was able to knock the device out of the _Kin __Kōmori's _hand before he could throw it. "I would never become the Emperor of Britannia unless it was to fulfill some crazy complicated plan for world peace!"

The _Kin __Kōmori _batted the incoming blade aside and delivered a right cross to the _Tristan's_ metal face. "Besides! Do you believe that the Britannian population would accept an exiled prince as Emperor after he killed the previous one Gino?! Would you accept me?!"

Gino grimaced as Lelouch caught him in that trap. No, he wouldn't accept Lelouch, at least, probably not at first. But maybe with time, he could come to accept it. But instead of saying that he asked instead, "What are you even fighting for?!"

The _Tristan_ then delivered a slice to the _Kin __Kōmori's _glowing gold-colored bat-symbol. The _Kin __Kōmori _was able to move out of the way, but the cut still made its mark. It didn't go into the cockpit, thankfully, but the cut deep enough to be noticeable. It was a diagonal cut across the gold bat-symbol.

"You say you fight for the future, but a future for who?!" Gino asked as he raised the blade high to bring it down on the bat-like Knightmare. "For yourself?! For Suzaku?! For whom Lelouch?!"

As he brought the blade down upon the _Kin __Kōmori, _Lelouch activated the shock gauntlets. It bumped its fists together before flashing them out, with electricity surging around them! As the blade nearly made contact with its head, the bat-like frame brought its hands up and caught the blade right before it made contact with its head!

"**EVERYONE'S FUTURE!" **Lelouch declared!

The two devicers struggled to get the upper hand on the other, but neither one of them would budge and give ground to the other! They were locked that way for a long time before someone they both knew interrupted them over a broadcast.

"_Hello, world! I'm Milly Ashford!"_

* * *

"What's going on?!" Ohgi asked the bridge officers as all of a sudden, all their frequencies were playing the same thing. A Britannian newswoman in a helicopter.

"We don't know Sir! Somehow someone was able to hack into our communication and send out a signal that is in tune with this broadcast!" The comm officer stated.

Ohgi was completely taken aback. "What do you mean someone?! Who?!" he asked.

"_We are sorry to interrupt the regular program, but we have breaking news!"_

* * *

_(At the same time)_

"What's going on?!" Scheneziel demanded as all of a sudden, all their frequencies were playing the same thing. A Britannian newswoman in a helicopter.

"We don't know Your Highness! Somehow someone was able to hack into our communication and send out a signal that is in tune with this broadcast!" The comm officer stated.

Diethard and Kanon were both completely taken aback, while Schneizel just frowned. "What do you mean someone?! Who?!" he asked.

"_We are sorry to interrupt the regular program, but we have breaking news!"_

* * *

"_As you can see behind me: The Black Knights and the Britannian Military led by Second Prince Schneizel are in a battle with the masked vigilante Batman, former Knight of Seven Suzaku Kururugi, Third Princess Cornelia, and others!"_

Kallen dropped her grocery bags as she stared at the screen with wide eyes. She found Lelouch, in one of the most unexpected places she believed him to be. In a head-on fight with one of his worst enemies.

"_While the true nature of this battle is unknown, thanks to evidence given to us by Princess Cornelia and former Knight of Nine Nonnette Emmegram, we have confirmation of Batman and his allies' purpose, and Prince Schneizel's true plans!"_

* * *

The broadcast then began to share the audio of Cronelia's conversation with Schneizel. Including how he planned to fire FLEIJA missiles all over the world even if they decided to cooperate with him.

All those present who had their doubts on whether to follow the Second Prince began to be furious. Especially the Black Knights.

However, what set people off, was what came after the gunshot.

"_How will you convince the Black Knights?" Came Kanon's voice over the broadcast._

"_Hmm, they'll simply understand that I'll be the winner, then I'll make a compromise about Japan's freedom and a few other things. And since they won't mind that criminals were used as 'volunteers' they won't bother with the genetic experiments." Schneizel explained to his servant. "I'll promise to give them whatever they want as long as they help me protect Damocles against Batman. Everybody will most likely be at the same place. Two FLEJIA's will suffice."_

* * *

"_Two FLEJIAs?"_

"_The Black Knights will never accept my new world. It's better to get rid of them all together with Batman. We will fire the second on Hori Island. All the UNF delegates are there."_

As he said those words, all of the said delegates gasped.

"Is he mad?!" one roared out in complete shock.

"Does he intend to destroy us all?!" Another question, still in disbelief.

**"OF** course he does! He's a Prince of Britannia and a child of the Emperor! You can never trust what they say!" A female delegate shouted.

As the delegates continued to argue and are in shock Kayuga was still reeling over the revelation she just learned. She doubted Zero/Lelouch/Batman, and now she and the entire UNF were going to pay the price for the doubt.

Beside her, Tizani was shaking in fear. Her beloved Li was still out there on the battlefield, waiting to meet death. While Villeta was shocked frozen, she was the one who convinced Ohgi to betray Lelouch and trust Schneizel, and now the man she trusted was going to destroy her and the man he'd grown to love.

* * *

"_Yes, after that show of strength, the UNF will surrender," Kanon commented, finally catching on to his Prince's plan. "It's a clever move!"_

"_It's better to have bigger results at a lower cost. It's just a basic strategy…" Schneizel explained, his tone betraying he felt proud of himself. "With any luck, the Damocles will fly up to its desired height without having to fire more than twice before reaching there."_

* * *

As the recording finished, the battlefield froze.

The Black Knights that were supporting Schneizel were growling in anger and shock at the Second Prince's plan. They truly were nothing to him, not even pieces on a chessboard. Even Chiba looked more enraged than she did when she learned the supposed truth about Zero.

'_Ohgi, you had your rights, but I feared your choice may have been made hasty!'_ Li thought as his face morphed into a growled in the cockpit of _Shen_ _Hu_.

* * *

Meanwhile, The _Tristan_ and the _Kōmori _had ceased their duel. Gino in the cockpit could only stare in disbelief at the Damocles. "Is this… Is this?! This isn't the kind of Britannia I wanted! This isn't what I was fighting for!" Gino cried as tears flowed down his face.

Lelouch took pity on the Knight of Three. He, after all, knew what it felt like to find out a reason for fighting had turned out to be a lie. But now that Schneizel's true intentions were revealed, it seemed that he would now take drastic actions.

* * *

The command bridge of the Damoclesheld faces of shock as their plan was revealed to the world. They knew of course what their Highness' plans truly were and decided to follow him.

Meanwhile, at Schneizel's side, Diethard and Kanon shook with absolute fear. They were onto them now, and if they were caught, they would face the wrath of the Black Knights.

Schneizel for his part seemed to be unfazed. But on the inside, he was completely taken off guard by this action. '_It seems Lelouch has changed these past months.'_ He thought.

"My sister does have nine lives. It's a pity, she ruined the surprise. Very well, I'll just have to move ahead of schedule." Schneizel then moved his hand to tap the intercom on the chair. "Throne room to weapons control. Prepare a FLEIJA for long-range. The target…"

* * *

Meanwhile, on the Ikaruga, every Black Knight present was shocked beyond belief at the treachery of Prince Schneizel.

"All of our families are on Hori Island!" A bridge officer shouted in panic as the danger of their foolishness began to dawn on them.

"Does… Does he want to kill us all?" Another commented in disbelief, the realization was sinking in on her.

But no one, and that goes for outside the Ikaruga, was more taken off guard than Ohgi. He placed every bet he had on Prince SChneizel's ability to give them Japan back, and he lost, he lost hard.

After a moment of being frozen in place, his face adopted a more livid expression. "Get me the Damocles! Get me Prince Schneizel!" He ordered. Everyone glance at him in disbelief. "**NOW!"**

* * *

"Your Highness!" The comm officer called. "We have a transmission from the Ikaruga!"

Schneizel merely smiled. "Put it through," he said.

The screen that oversaw the battle was replaced by a very livid Japanese man. "_Schneizel," _Ohgi began, his voice caring a level of venom and scorn it never had before, "_Have you been deceiving us this entire time?! About Zero to?!"_

Schneizel merely laughed, which only enraged Ohgi even more so. "Now you figure it out?" He asked rhetorically, laughing even more. "I just told you what you wanted to hear. A human being can't live without experience. Did you know a furious enemy can't think straight?"

He then snapped his fingers. "I believe it's time to give you a lesson on military tactics."

* * *

On the top of Damocles, the one that held the firing key reluctantly pressed down on the button.

* * *

Below the Damocles, a section of its Blaze Luminous shield opened up, and out came a FLEJIA missile.

* * *

"**THEY FIRED A FLEIJA, DIRECTION…" **The officer gasped in horror. "**HORAI ISLAND!"**

"**WHAT?!" **Ohgi called in disbelief. "**INTERCEPT IT! INTERCEPT IT!"**

"**NO! MOM, DAD!" **An officer shouted in panic.

"**IMPOSSIBLE! WE'RE TOO FAR AWAY TO DO ANYTHING TO STOP IT!" **An officer stated.

'_**NO! VILLETTA!' **_Ohgi shouted in his mind. His face fell in absolute defeat! This was all his fault! He trusted Schneizel, a man who was known for his manipulative skill and crushing the enemies of the Empire, over the one who led them to victory time and time again! Who risked everything to try and warn them now, even when he knew they would not listen!

Britannia hadn't killed Zero. Nor the Black Knights. Ohgi was the one who killed Zero. And now for his foolishness and his stupidity, the UNF, the Black Knights, the entire world, it was all gonna burn by the hands of a madman who Ohgi trusted.

'_We need a miracle!' _Ohgi shouted in his mind.

"I'm picking up a signal!" An officer shouted. "A Knightmare has to just gotten in the path of the FLEIJA missile!"

"Is it one of ours?!"

"No! It's-" the screen enlarged to show the image of the Knightmare that stood between the FLEIJA and the destruction UNF.

Ohgi gasped as he looked up and saw the Knightmare. He couldn't believe it! "It's-"

* * *

"_A FLEIJA warhead has just been fired from the Damocles! Its direction appears to be Horai Island, headquarters of the UNF!" _Milly announced, causing the populace to gasp.

Kallen looked down in shame, unable to watch the destruction come of that weapon anymore. She couldn't do anything at all, she felt powerless, like when Naoto died, like when the Black Knights betrayed Lelouch.

What could anyone do to stop this weapon?

"_**WAIT!" **_Milly shouted, bringing Kallen's attention back to the screen. "_A Knightmare has just gotten in the path of the FLEIJA and the UNF!" _As the camera began zooming in on the Knightmare, Kallen's eyes widened even more as she got a clear view of what the Knightmare was, and she knew who was piloting it.

"_It's Batman!"_

* * *

And indeed, standing in the way of the destruction of the UNF was the black, bat-like, golden glowing Knightmare owned by the masked vigilante.

FLEIJA warhead came closer to the _Kin __Kōmori, _and it made no moves to dodge or move out of the way of the deadly warhead. Lelouch closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He then opened his eyes, they were blazing with determinant.

The _Kin Kōmori's _gold bat wings extended outward, and the bat-like Knightmare charged the FLEIJA warhead head on!

* * *

"**WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THAT MAN DOING?!" **Tamaki shouted in disbelief at Batman's reckless actions.

"He's… he's saving… our lives?" A voice muttered in absolute disbelief. The members on the bridge looked to see Ohgi's eyes shot wide open and mouth hung in absolute shock.

'_Why is he saving our lives… after all, we did to him?' _Ohgi thought as he continued to watch the bat-like Knightmare charge the warhead!

* * *

As Lelouch pushed the _Kin Kōmori _faster, he thought about how easy it would have been to just let the UFN suffer and be destroyed for their arrogance and foolishness for trusting someone like Schneizel.

In his time as Zero, and a vengeful youth, he would have let it happen without a second thought.

But now… he couldn't let a single life die, even if they betrayed him and ruined his life. No innocent life was going to die, by his actions or lack of!

If there was one thing that was good during his time as Zero, it was the UFN! And that one thing that stood for the symbol of unity during his career as Zero wasn't going to be obliterated!

Not if Batman had anything to say about it!

* * *

As she watched the _Kin Kōmori _approach the FLEIJA head-on, Nina thought back to before the battle when she met with Lelouch.

_Flashback_

"_Your sure this will stop the FLEIJA?" Lelouch asked as he looked at the specialized Batarang that held the chemicals meant to neutralize the warhead. Nina had been working on the FLEIJA eraser for a month now. And she complained multiple times that if she had full access to Britannia's technology, she could have made two in a day. _

_But they had to work with what they had._

"_It's only a theory," Nina began explaining as she showed him the chemical formula for the eraser. "But the chemicals in this makeup should be able to disable the compounds in the FLEIJA."_

_She then cast her head down in a regretful manner. Lelouch caught this and then immediately knew what was coming. "But?" He asked. She then glanced shyly back up to his eyes._

"_But the problem is, that the FLEIJA eraser needs to go at a high velocity for the counter agent to be fully developed. Meaning you'd have the charge the FLEIJA head-on for it to work." Nina explained._

_Lelouch grimaced slightly. For this probable counter agent to work, it required him to charge headlong into a weapon that obliterated the Toyo Settlement and Pendragon. And everyone in it._

"_You're not telling me this as a clever way to get rid of me are you?" Lelouch asked sarcastically._

_Nina was about to protest when Lelouch held up his hand and donned a small smile. "Relax Nin," he assured her with a chuckle, "OI know you aren't like that. I know you want to destroy this weapon and stop more lives from being taken."_

_Lelouch's face then looked down in sadness as he looked back at the FLEIJA eraser. "But at the same time, I can't blame you if that's your true intention," Lelouch said, sadness filling his voice, "I, after all, caused you to build this weapon when I killed Princess Euphemia. I know you don't forgive me, I don't even forgive myself for what I did, and I hope I never do."_

_A moment of silence passed between those two. Finally, Lelouch broke the silence. "But, thank you for helping me, Nina. I know that Princess Euphemia would be proud of you." Nina gave a small smile at that comment."_

_Flashback end_

Nina clasped her hands together as if to pray. Pray that, for Princess Euphemia's sake, that this weapon could be stopped before more lives could be taken.

* * *

"Time to find out if this thing works!" Lelouch shouted to himself as he pushed the _Kin Kōmori _faster!

* * *

"He's charging it head-on!?" Diethard shouted in disbelief as he, and all those present on the Damocles, watches the bat-like Knightmare approach the warhead with a look of absolute disbelief.

Even Schneizel couldn't mask his surprise at his brother's rash actions! What on Earth was Lelouch doing?!

* * *

"What in the world does that man think he's doing?!" A UNF delegate shouted as he stared at the bat-like Knightmare charge the weapon that for a brief moment, feared they would be victims of.

"He's saving our lives!" A feminine voice chocked out.

All the delegates turned to see the teary-eyed face of the UNF's chairwoman. For those who didn't know the truth, which was all of them, they couldn't understand why the Chairwoman would cry of some stranger.

To those who did, however, they couldn't help but cry with her.

* * *

Lelouch pushed the _Kin __Kōmori_ faster! The warning lights and Oracle's alerts were going off in the cockpit, and they were going crazy, urging him to stop, slow down, or move out of the way! But Lelouch ignored them all as he continued to charge the destructive weapon head-on!

* * *

Gino's mouth was held wide open in disbelief at Batman's actions! If dressing up like a bat wasn't crazy enough, he had to add death seeking to psych profile of Lelouch vi Britannia, not that there was one.

* * *

Kallen's eyes were filling with tears as she saw the bat-frame closing in on the weapon of mass destruction! In those moments, all at once, her fears, her doubts, her anger, her depression, everything that had caused Kallen to doubt Lelouch, all of it vanished!

Only now it was when Lelouch was facing certain death! He was sacrificing himself to protect everything he built! And to save those who cursed and condemned him to the debt of oblivion!

And Kallen could do nothing but watch as he did so. She was complete and utterly powerless! A feeling she hated more than anything in the world!

* * *

As he watched his lord approach the dangerous warhead, Jeremiah couldn't help but grip the controls on his Knightmare in frustration! It should be him out there risking his life, not His Highness. And especially not for those who sought to take away his life! He had offered himself to do so, but Lelouch refused him.

"_I'm grateful for your loyalty Jeremiah, I truly am." _He recalled his master's words before he left to engage the enemy. "_But I have to do this. And it has to be me alone. I've always had others execute my dangerous suicidal plans for me: Suzaku, Kallen, Rolo, you, and so many others. But now, it has to be me risking my life for these plans! If a king isn't willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of his mission, how can he inspire others to do the same?"_

* * *

As the _Lancelot_ _Abilon_ watched the _Kin Kōmori _approach closer to the FLEIJA, Suzaku couldn't but pray silently that Lelouch would survive. Not just because Lelouch was his best friend and the best hope they had against Schneizel, but also because of the 'other matter' Lelouch assigned to Suzaku.

Suzaku had a feeling that this was payback for all the times he made Lelouch suffer. While he would do it as a promise to him as a friend, he still wasn't looking forward to facing the angry fire that is Kallen Kozuki when he tells her Lelouch is dead!

* * *

The _Kin Kōmori _then pulled a unique Batarang from its utility belt. What separated this one from the rest was that it was completely glowing gold like the bat symbol on its chest and the energy bat wings.

Lelouch pushed the _Kin Kōmori _faster toward the FLEIJA! He only had one shot! And he wasn't even sure if it was gonna work!

Lelouch laughed slightly. Years ago, he called Suzaku out on his wild and reckless actions to kill himself. Yet now here he was, doing the same thing!

But he was different now. Everything about Lelouch vi Britannia was different from what he once was. At least most of him that is. He was still a brilliant strategist and a stubbornly committed person who would not stop to complete his goals. And he could be cruel to those that deserve it at times.

But now, he was only willing to risk himself in accomplishing his goals. No one else. He was physically stronger and more skilled in piloting than he ever was before. He had a strong moral code that he would follow and would let no one or situation compromise it. He was kinder, at least to innocents, and cared less about results and more about keeping others alive in the pursuit of his goals.

And there was one big difference to the person he was before to the person he is now. He realized that he had more to live for in his life than just Nunnally.

It was true that Nunnally was still important to him, and her death will always leave a hole in Lelouch's heart. But now that she was gone, he realized just how many people he had that could support him. And how much they all meant to him.

Suzaku. Lelouch's first, true, and best friend. One of the few people he let into his wounded and broken heart after his mother 'died'. He never should have hurt Suzaku the way he did, he didn't deserve any of the pain Lelouch caused him. Lelouch should have been a better friend. And once this was over, he was, or at least, the was going to try to be that friend.

His thoughts then went to his friends at Ashford. Though most of them only knew him as Lelouch Lamperouge, he enjoyed every second of his existence there with them. From the times he and Rivalz snuck out to gamble, to the insane festivals held by Milly. He would be a better friend o him when he got back, and to honor Shirley's memory, he would put a real effort in school.

And finally Kallen. _Kallen. _The woman who Lelouch, against all his experience and skills at cutting people off except for Suzaku and Nunnally, fell in love with. At first, Lelouch saw her as his greatest soldier in his war against Britannia. But as time moved on, he noticed other things about her that had drawn him to her. The way she could easily use a Knightmare to dispatch a squad, her level of devotion to him and his mission, and small things like how she would smile after a victory, and even her hot-blooded temper was attractive to him.

The way how she spoke to him before and after she learned the truth. How much she desired to be closer to him, and how much more he wanted to be closer to her. But, he always was putting it off, until he got Nunnally back until he destroyed his father. He wasn't willing to let her in, until after she saved him from Refrain that night in Shinjuku.

But then Shirley and Nunnally perished because he couldn't save them. Because he loved him. And his heart couldn't take another loss, especially of the one who mattered to him the most. So he did the only thing he was ever truly good at, he pushed her away with lies. And that was his greatest regret. She begged to know what she meant to him, and he called her his greatest pawn. The memory sickened him every time he thought back to it.

But, once this was all over, once the world was saved from Schneizel and his sick view on peace, he would find her. He would find her, and tell her how he truly felt, how he longed to be with her, how sorry he was for lying to her. And he hoped, with all of his heart, that she would accept him.

And if not…

Lelouch closed his eyes in pain as that particular thought crossed his mind. He hoped she would at least find someone who could make her truly happy. Happier than Lelouh ever could.

Now Lelouch had a small hope this wouldn't work so he wouldn't have to face her and her fury. One of the things he learned as Zero was that you do not make a woman angry, especially redheads. He would let Suzaku face that anger, a fitting punishment he believed for all the pain Suzaku put him through when training.

The _Kin Kōmori's _senors beeped, in conformation. '_It's now time!' _Lelouch thought as he positioned the _Kin Kōmori _to throw the Batarang.

As he stared at the FLEIJA that was a mere few hundred meters from him, he thought one last thing. '_All or nothing!'_

He then brought the _Kin Kōmori _to a furious halt and used the momentum from the sudden brake in speed to throw the indigo glowing Batarang at the incoming warhead.

Time seemed to slow for all watching, which was the entire world, as the specialized Batarang made contact with the FLEIJA. The warhead then erupted into a brilliant orb of violet that was growing exponentially larger by the second. And made no sign of slowing down.

Lelouch let out a defeated sigh. '_Well Rolo, Euphie, Shirley, C.C., Nunnally, at least I'll be with you in the after like. Hopefully, Kallen doesn't come and kill me when I get there.' _Lelouch closed his eyes and prepared to meet his maker...

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

...

… only one problem, when Lelouch opened his eyes, he didn't see his maker. Instead, he was in the exact place he was when he died, in the cockpit of the _Kin Kōmori. 'Is Heaven or Hell the cockpit of the Knightmare people die in?' _Lelouch thought as he looked out the screen to what was in front of him.

And when he did, he learned he wasn't in Heaven or Hell!

The glowing orb began to shrink and turn black, electricity was being shot out of the orb, but it wasn't hitting anyone or their Knightmares. The orb kept shrinking and shrinking. Until finally, it blinked out of existence!

Lelouch blinked to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He then pinched himself to double make sure. only Oracle's report made him see reality._ "FLEIJA warhead has been negated. Excellent job master Batman."_ And with that confirmation, he let out a large long laugh. He kept laughing and laughing until it began to hurt. When he managed to calm down after a long while he shouted.

**"****I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT WORKED!"**

* * *

"I can't believe that worked!" Suzaku shouted.

* * *

"I can't believe that worked!" Cornelia voiced in.

* * *

"I can't believe that worked!" The four scientists shouted in surprise.

* * *

"I can't believe that worked!" Milly and Rivalz both shouted.

* * *

After Lelouch calmed down, he then remembers he had to execute another part of his plan. He then began to set the _KIn Kōmori _to the broadcast setting.

* * *

"T-The FLEIJA is… **GONE!?"** Kanon shouted, his face a look of disbelief as he saw the orb of destructive power be stopped by a little object. Those in the Damocles held similar reactions.

But all of them paled in comparison to Prince Schneizel himself. The Second Prince, the man who usually was able to keep his composure no matter what happened to him, was completely taken off guard. His face held an uncharacteristic shock that had never been seen before on him. By others, or by himself.

His face then tried to fix its mistake by assuming a calm appearance, but it was too late, the damage was done. On the inside, Schneizel was full of an uncharacteristic rage take hold upon him. '_I didn't expect this kind of trick, but this won't be a problem.'_

* * *

On the Ikaruga, there was a different atmosphere.

Everyone was cheering and hugging one another, some even kissing. Everyone was celebrating at the chance to live and continue fighting.

Ohgi, looked beyond happy, in one instant, relief filled his soul and his heart that his love and all they worked for was still standing. "I-It's-It's a miracle!" Ohgi shouted, holing his hand to his head. Bt then she shook his head in realization.

"No… it's _him_."

* * *

"_Batman has stopped the FLEIJA?! **BATMAN HAS STOPPED THE FLEIJA!"** Milly reported, sounding ecstatic!_

All those watching the broadcast cheered Batman as the reality that one man was able to stop a dangerous weapon and save the UNF. A miracle even Zero couldn't accomplish!

However one in the crowd had more reason to be happy than any other person. '_He's okay he's okay!' _Kallen cried tears of happiness as she had begun to wipe them away so no one would notice.

The TV then gave off a sound before a new voice chimed in. "_Black Knights, Britannia, the world! Hear me now!" _

Kallen's eyes shot up and looked toward the screen at the voice at the man who she could never mistaken. The voice that could always give her hope in the darkest of times!

'_Lelouch!'_

* * *

"_Now do you all see the truth?!" _Batman asked as his voice rang throughout the battlefield that had fallen silent.

Every Britannian and Black Knight listened closely to the words of the masked vigilante. Feeling something very familiar as he spoke.

* * *

"_Schneizel el Britannia doesn't care about the lives of others! He only cares for his own false belief of peace! A peace he seeks to achieve by destroying all those who go against his ideals! Even those who he calls allies and friends, even if he knows what they mean!"_

The UNF's delegates stared in awe and silence at the vigilante's words as he continued speaking. Kayuga, in particular, listened with great admiration, as she when Lelouch would speak as Zero.

* * *

"_Is that what we want?! To live in constant fear of destruction by the hands of a tyrant?! Is this what you Knights fought for?! Whether you be Black Knights or Britannia's?!"_

That question caused Gino to cringe slightly and look down in shame. No! This isn't the Britannia he fought for! This isn't the world he wanted!

Tohdoh also looked down in shame. He was foolish to trust Schneizel! How could he fall for such obvious ploys from the Second Prince? But he knew why: it was because he was angry, and no soldier thinks clearly when angry.

* * *

"_I know I don't! I know I don't want a world living in the past as Charles zi Britannia desired! Or a world stuck in the present as Schneizel el Britannia seeks! What I want in the future! What I want is tomorrow! The tomorrow that humanity needs to survive!_

Suzaku recalled those same words when he, Lelouch, and C.C. confronted the Emperor in C's world months ago. Lelouch was desperate to have a tomorrow and was willing to do what it takes for it.

* * *

"I will fight for that future, even if it kills me!" Lelouch continued speaking, his voice was more powerful than it ever was as Zero or as Batman! "I won't force any of those who hear this to follow me! But instead, I am asking-No!- I am begging you all, help me! Help me save this world from being stuck in the present! Help me move this world into the future for the benefit of your children, and their children, and their children's children! Please, fight with me now, help me destroy this corrupt world so that we can create a new one!"

* * *

Silence.

Absolute silence.

That is what classified the battlefield. No bullet was fired. No explosion erupted. Not a shout or a mutter fro anyone on the battlefield.

For a moment, Lelouch was worried it wasn't going to work considering how much these people hate him.

But then, the silence was broken by one man. The man who all who knew him regarded him and he knew him, as one thing for sure. An idiot.

"**IT'S ZERO! I KNEW IT!" **Tamaki shouted at the top of his lungs, his declaration heard around the world. For a brief moment, the world began to hope that it was true.

* * *

Lelouch smiled at Tamaki's declaration. Even after all this time, he was still a lovely comic relief. And for a moment, Lelouch thought of going along with that declaration, claiming that in reality, Batman was Zero in a new guise, hoping to find a way to take down Schneizel by presenting to be dead.

But no.

"No," Lelouch stated, shocking the world again. He had to do this. If he was truly going to leave Zero behind, he had to do this. "Zero is dead."

The world gasped at his words.

"I am not him. I am nothing more than the warrior that has risen from the ashes of Zero. One who seeks justice for all those who have been faced with the unjust actions of those who believe they are better than their fellow man!"

"I..." Lelouch paused for a moment, noticing something was missing. He grabbed his mask, that he didn't realize he took off. Studying the mask closely, he saw in the white eyes that his soul has been reborn. Slowly, he brought the piece of fabric that was so powerful to his face.

"_I am_ the _vengeance_ of those who had been stepped on those who believe that they are superior to their fellow men, here to bring that righteous fury down on those who believe that!" The mask was on his face as he began to pull down.

"_I am the night _that covers the corrupt light that blinds the people of this world." The mask covered his face completely as his hands went to grasp the controls of the _Kuro Kōmori,_ the indigo circuit lines ran up his hands and arms.

And at last, he declared in a voice that shook the world once more!

"**I AM… BATMAN!"**

**A/N: And I figure that's as good a place as any to finish it off.**

**As you can see, I used more gadgets from the Arkham series, and used their freeflow combat enhances as upgrades for the ****_Kin Kōmori. _****Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll post the new one as soon as I can. Also, I added an AI that's titled 'Oracle' to keep it more in line with the bat mythos. Again, not my idea, I have to give credit to Sunwolf27 again for the idea. I had originally planned on adding the Oracle AI for the sequel to this story, but I decided to do it now.**

**Also, my respect for authors writing long stories has grown, even more, this took a lot of work. And it was exhausting. **

**Next time, Lelouch and his allies must fight against a terrifying new weapon. And the world chooses who to stand beside.**


	11. What You Mean to Me

**A/N: I do not own Code Geass or Batman Beyond. they are amazing works that belong to Sunrise and Warner Bros. Animation respectively. Now then onto the new Chapter!**

Kallen was sprinting faster than she ever had before in her life. She needed to get to the _Guren_, and she needed to get there fast.

After seeing Lelouch's, or more precisely, Batman's declaration, she knew where she needed to be at that moment and wasted no time waiting for people to call her.

Finally, she made it to the abandoned parking garage where she left the _Guren_ when she left the Black Knights. As she began the start-up procedure she thought back to that incident when she left. Perhaps she may have been a little too harsh on Ohgi, but he deserved it for how he used Naoto like that.

And now after running from them for over a month, she was returning to the battlefield to fight alongside them. But she wasn't going back to them, she would never be going back to the Black Knights ever again.

She was going to _him._ Where she always belonged. At _his _side.

* * *

Everyone stayed silent and held faces of awe at the words spoken by the masked vigilante throughout the battlefield. Though some were just annoyed at Batman's intervention in the destruction of the UNF, they were waiting on orders from His Highness. Others were waiting for who would make the first move. While the rest were awaiting the command of their leader on who they should side with.

Schneizel, or Batman?

* * *

"That boy sure knows how to steal the spotlight," Nonnette commented as she watches the _Kin_ _Kōmori, _awaiting what would happen next.

"Well, he was always one who wanted all the attention. Especially as a child." Cornelia laughed as memories of them as children came flooding back and Lelouch would try to get everyone's attention by attempting to do something amazing or stupid, depending on how you looked at it.

A wave of sadness suddenly hit her as she thought back to those days. The days when they were all just children, having nothing to worry about except living up to their father's enormous expectations, not that they knew he had.

But nothing could be changed. Clovis, Euphie, Nunnally, and all the rest were now gone. It was only Lelouch, her and Schneizel now. And she was teaming up with the brother who killed her full-blooded sister to stop the other brother from destroying the world for this false peace. From destroying the dream Euphie and Nunnally wanted.

While she said she could never forgive Lelouch for killing Euphie, she knew that Euphie would want just that. To mend the broken bonds between family and finally start healing. Maybe for Euphie and Nunnally, she could forgive him someday. But not today, not tomorrow, maybe not for a long time.

But someday, maybe she would.

* * *

The crew of the Ikaruga was still staring at the bat-like Knightmare while waiting for Ohgi to give them some sort of command.

But Ohgi himself was staring at the machine. Not with anger or with admiration in his eyes as he used to do. But with curious amazement. Pondering over the words that Zero, no, _Batman_ said.

He then gave a soft chuckle. '_He has changed from Zero, hasn't he. Or maybe, this is his true feelings? Who knows?' _Ohgi thought as he moved to press on the intercom, the frequency was blasted to all Black Knights and Batman and his forces.

Steeling himself. "Batman," Ohgi called into the comm, being careful to use his former leaders' new identity, "How many more time can you stop the FLEIJA?" That was the big question that he truly wanted to know at the moment.

"_Only one more time!" _Came Batman's answer.

Ohgi took a deep breath. "Then there's only one thing to do." He then sighed dramatically. "All Black Knight forces, target the Damocles, we must bring it down before it reaches 300 kilometers!"

* * *

Schneizel stared at the tactical screen of the battlefield with a level of annoyance he never felt before. Because of his brother's little 'miracle' and speech, the Black Knight forces were now targeting him and his army. And it seemed that at least a third of the Britannian forces had now turned against him as well.

"Wh-What do we do?!" Diethard asked, panic and terror filling his body. "We had the strongest weapon in the world at our disposal, but now he's found a way to counteract it! And we had one of the most advanced armies baking us up, but now they've turned against us! What do we do?!"

"Calm yourself Diethard!" Schneizel demanded, the annoyance was cracking in his voice, but he was trying his best to hide it. "Panicking will not help us now or ever, we must be smart on how we play our next move. Kanon, what is the status of the Damocles?"

Said advisor looked down at his tablet. "We've reached 100 kilometers, our shields are at maximum power so far. However, if the combined assault from the Black Knights, Batman's forces, and the traitors will destroy them before we reach 300 kilometers."

Schneizel then pondered over the actions he could take. Finally, he came to a decision. "Prepare to launch another FLEIJA! Target the Black Knight Flagship!"

"B-b-but wouldn't Zero be able to stop it?!" Diethard voiced out.

"It is possible," Schneizel admitted, "But I doubt my brother could have created multiple counter weapons with whatever resources at his disposal, even with the time he had. It's just a chance we'll have to take."

And then, another idea occurred to Schneizel and he smiled sinisterly. This would be something Lelouch and the Black Knights surely wouldn't expect. "Kanon," He began as he turned to the advisor, "Get changed into a pilot suit and tell the mechanics to prepare the _Merlin_."

Kanon looked stunned for a moment. But he quickly bowed and raced off out of the throne room. Diethard looked confused for his part. "What is _Merlin_?" He asked Schneizel.

Schneizel merely leaned back in his throne and smiled deviously, more so than Lelouch as he placed his hands together. "The machine that will bring an end to my brother's foolish rebellion once and for all!"

* * *

As the tension was growing in Damocles, the battle was raging outside. Most Black Knights were fighting with a fury, the fury of betrayal. While some Britannian forces were just standing still, merely defending themselves, as they had become indecisive on what action to take regarding their Highness. However, most of them continued to fiercely defend the Damocles.

The Knight of One was no exception as he just finished cutting through a group of traitors to the crown. Bismark growled in anger. "That boy is too much like his father and mother!" He spat. And it was slightly true: only Charles zi Britannia and Marianne vi Britannia could do acts such as this and have such charisma to inspire others to fight. Had he served the crown, Lelouch could have easily made it to be the greatest Emperor Britannia had ever seen.

But instead, he used his gifts for destruction and things that went against Britannia's ideology. That boy had no right to be a child of the great Emperor Charles and Empress Marianne. And Bismark just knew Lelouch was proud of that.

"_You know, you shouldn't say stuff like that out loud." _A voice came from the side. Bismark was barely able to dodge it before a hardon blast steaked past the _Galahad_. The frame turned to see the _Lancelot_ _Albion_ with an upgrade VARIS rifle aimed at it.

"Lelouch hates it when people compare him to his father and mother. Unless its something he agrees with, and something he's slightly proud of." Suzaku stated in a matter-of-factly type of manner.

"Kururugi!" Bismark shouted as he pointed the _Galahad's_ gigantic sword toward the white Knightmare.

"That's me," Suzaku said with a smile, as the _Lancelot_ put the VARIS rifle away and pulled out a pair of MVS.

"Are you proud of this boy?!" Bismark shouted as he charged the traitorous knight. The _Lancelot_ however, was able to bring its MVS to block the strike from the giant sword. It then pushed the blade off it and gave a spin kick to the frame.

'Isn't it obvious!?" Suzaku asked as he charged after frame belonging to the Knight of One. The blades of both Knightmares crossed with such fury and power. However, in terms of power, the _Galahad_ was able to knock the _Lancelot_ away.

When the white Knightmare was able to regain balance, Suzaku continued. "Of course I'm proud of this!" He shouted as he charged the larger frame again. He crossed swords with the machine as he was speaking. "Because for the first time… in years… I know that I… am truly fighting… **FOR SOMETHING I BELIEVE IN!"** He delivered a powerful strike that knocked the _Galahad_ back.

Then he zoomed upwards to fly high in the sky. He then looked down upon the machine belonging to the knight whose position he worked so hard to get. Caused so many tragedies to get in the good graces of the Emperor.

The _Galahad_ then steady itself and looked up at the _Lancelot_. Bismark eyes were burning with a rage that could not be controlled. "Then by all means boy!" Bismark shouted as he pointed the gigantic sword to the white Knightmare. "**SHOW ME YOUR RESOLVE!" **The _Galahad_ then charged full speed toward the _Lancelot_!

"**GLADLY!"** Suzaku shouted as he put the _Lancelot_ in full throttle to meet the _Galahad_.

As the two frames came closer together, Suzkau's green eyes began to have red glowing irises glow in them. And in his mind was a strong, burning desire that was both his own and his friend's.

'_**LIVE!' **_

The two frames slashed their swords at each other.

For a moment, nothing happened, but then, the gigantic sword belonging to the Knight of One split in tow, and their Knightmare soon followed.

Bismark held a look of complete shock in his eyes. '_How could this be? How could a boy, a mere Eleven, defeat me?! The Knight of One!? The greatest Knight in Britannia?!'_ Bismark thought. Then it dawned on him. '_I see. Your desire, the desire for a future, surpassed my desire for revenge.'_

The _Galahad_ then exploded in a brilliant inferno!

Suzaku was breathing heavily. Then it finally dawned on him. "I did it." He muttered under his breath. _He_ defeated the Knight of One! Then he erupted into a laughing cheer. "**I DID IT!"**

* * *

Monica looked in surprise to see Bismark's Knightmare be destroyed.

"Impossible!" She shouted. Her face then turned to shock then anger as she turned to the Knightmare owned by _Ex-_Princess Cornelia. "I will destroy you all!"

He fury in words matched her attacks as she began brutally assaulting Cornelia's Knightmare. Cornelia tried to keep up, but the Knight of Twelve continued her relentless assault.

Finally, Monica managed to disarm Cornelia, literally disarm, and was about to give the killing stroke. However, a Knightmare then flew in and collide with the Knight of Twelves's frame.

"**YOU WILL NOT LAY A HAND ON HER HIGHNESS!" **Guilford shouted as he continued to push Monica away from his Princess.

'You are a fool, Sir Guilford!" She shouted as she shoved the loyal knight off of her and slashed apart several metal limbs from the frame. "To think you could defeat a Knight of the Round!"

"He wasn't trying to." A cold voice came from behind her which caused her heart to freeze. "He was only trying to distract you." Then the back of the Knight of Twelve's frame was riddled with bullets which caused the frame to explode.

The remains of the Knightmare fell to the ocean floor as Cornelia's Knightmare, discarding a rifle in its remaining arm, moved to support Guilford's Knightmare. "Guilford! Are you okay?!" Cornelia asked with clear concern in her voice.

"I-I am sorry Your Highness!" Guilford said, looking down in disappointment. The response surprised Cornelia. "I wasn't able to defeat her! I have failed you as a knight! I don't deserve you!"

Cornelia's face was one of shock to hear what was on Guilford's mind. Then it quickly changed to anger as she growled out her next words. "Let me make something very clear to right now Guilford," She said. Then she erupted with righteous fury. "I want no one else to serve me as my knight and stand by my side other than you! Do you hear me?! And if you ever think I want otherwise again: **I WILL PERSONALLY BEAT THESE WORDS INTO YOUR SKULL UNTIL YOU REALISE THAT!"**

Guilford was shocked by both the words and fury of his Princess. So much that he was shaking in his body.

Then to his relief, Cornelia gave a small amusing smile. "Come on! Were pretty much out of the fight, for now, so let's get somewhere safe." She then began to pull Guilfords Knightmare along as she made her way to the Ikaruga.

* * *

"Monica!" Dorothea shouted in shock and terror as she watched another of the rounds perished. She then turned back to her opponent, Nonnette, and stuck at her with fury in blows and words. "I'm going to kill you all!"

'I'd like to see you try!" Nonnette challenged with a smirk on her face. However, she soon was eating her words as her Knightmare's leg was severed from the metal body. This was quickly followed by an attack that sen the Knightmare and the pilot in a daze.

"I don't care if I'll be killed!" Dorothea shouted as she was about to bring down a killing stroke. "So long as I take as many of you traitors with me, I don't care! All for Britannia!" She then brought her sword down.

However, another blade shot out from the side and intercepted the sword. Dorothea looked to see who and gasped. There, stopping her from ending a traitorous Round, was another Round that was only a few minutes ago, loyal to Schneizel.

"'All for Britannia'?" Gino mocked as he continued pushing against the blade in the _Tristan_. "Yeah, I used that excuss multiple times too. Until I finally woke up!" The _Tristan_ then shoved the blade away and gave a powerful strike to Dorothea's frame.

"Gino?! What are you doing?!" Dorothea asked after she regained balance in her Knightmare.

"Isn't it obvious?" Gino asked as he pointed his sword at the Knight of Four's frame. "Fighting for something I believe in!" He then charged the frame.

* * *

Batman was barely able to move the _Kin Kōmori _out of the _Mordred's_ hardon cannon blast. When he regained his bearings, he threw a Batarang at the red Knightmare. However, the _Mordred_ was able to bring up it blaze luminous to protect against the attack.

Batman grimaced. Whatever upgrades Schneizel made the Rounds' Knightmares in the past month made them more effective to fight the _Kin __Kōmori. _And this battle had taken its toll on the _Kin Kōmori: _the Knightmare was running low on weapons, and the frame's hull wasn't too great either.

But Lelouch wasn't going to give up that easily. Whether he was in a Knightmare or not, he would see this fight through to the end. No matter what laid in store for him.

Deciding that range attacks wouldn't do any good, the _Kin Kōmori _moved to close the distance between itself and the _Mordred. _However, the _Mordred_ was able to dodge the attack and fired a hardon blast at close range! Thankfully, Batman was able to bring the _Kin Kōmori's _energy bat wings up to have the absolute defense system in them take the brunt of the attack.

The action worked, but the contact was able to send the _Kin Kōmori _tumbling backward. Lelouch was able to get the Knightmare to steady itself. Oracle then began giving him a rundown of the damage: "_Hull integrity down to 25%, Absolute defense system weakened by 46%, I would advise no more close contact with hardon beam attack."_ Lelouch grimaced at the damaged report was still being read to him. He looked back up at the _Mordred_ and growled in anger. Anya was not making this easy on him.

"Why are you doing this Anya?!" Batman questioned as he opened a frequency to communicate with the pilot. "Why are you working with Schneizel to enslave the world?! What do you hope to gain from this?!"

He was met with silence for a few moments. Then Anya finally responded. "You can't understand." She said in a tone that held sadness and depression. "You don't know what I'm trying to gain. I can't even remember anything about my life before the Rounds! Prince Schneizel promised to find everything he can about me if I served him with the best of my abilities! And that means that I have to defeat you!"

Lelouch's head fell. He knew why Anya couldn't remember anything before being the Rounds. It was because his mother, Marianne, had used her body as a vessel for the past eight years. And his father, Charles, had used his Geass to help maintain that illusion that her mind was her own. But now that they were both gone, Anya was crumbling apart with knowing what was going on with herself.

But Lelouch had a way to help her.

"Anya, listen to me." Lelouch began, pleading. "I may have a way to help you recover your memories. Just stop this fighting and we can-"

"**LIES!"** Anya shouted in anger! "All lies! Schneizel warned me you may come up with a plan to deceive me! But I won't fall for it!" And with that, she fired another blast from the _Mordred_ that the _Kōmori _was barely able to dodge.

The warning lights in the _Kin Kōmori _then went off! "_Alert!_ _Damocles lower blaze luminous shield dropping! FLEIJA cannon moving to target the Ikaruga!" _Oracle reported. Batman scowled, he couldn't just turn his back on Anya leaving him wide open.

"Go my lord!" A new voice chimed in. Suddenly the _Mordred_ was bombarded with a volley of bullets that caused it to back away from the _Kōmori. _The _Sutherland_ _Sieg _came down and floated protectively in front of the _Kōmori_, facing the menacing red machine head-on.

"Jeremiah?!" Lelouch shouted in disbelief at the Knight of Orange's action.

"Go stop Prince Schneizel, my lord! That is your duty! Mine is to ensure that you make it there alive!" Jeremiah told him.

For a moment, Lelouch didn't move from where he was, he then nodded in conformation. "Alright! Thank you, Jeremiah!" Lelouch was about to have the _Kin Kōmori _speed off to the Damocles before he turned around to the _Sutherland Sieg_ again. "Make sure you come back from this battle alive Jeremiah." He told the loyal Knight, surprising him. "For what I have planned for the future, I'll need your strength." And with that, the _Kin Kōmori _transformed into the Batmobile and shot off to the FLEIJA cannon.

Jeremiah smiled slightly as he saw the machine that was owned by his lord speed off to face his foe, then he turned back to face his foe. "I am Jeremiah Gottwald, my loyalty is as the Knight of Orange to my lord! And you shall not interfere with my lord's dream!"

He then charged the _Mordred_ with the _Sutherland_ _Sieg_ while making sure he was careful to avoid any hardon beams and other weaponry.

* * *

"Your Highness! We have the Ikaruga and in our sights and the FLEIJA cannon is loaded and ready for firing!" The weapons officer reported.

Schneizel then keyed the comm to the one who was holding the key. "Fire now!" He ordered.

A FLEIJA warhead then emerged from the cannon at the lower end of the Damocles. It then fired off thrusters on its rear end and made its way to the Black Knight Flagship.

* * *

"A FLEIJA warhead is locked on to use and approaching us fast! ETA 60 seconds!"

"Evasive maneuvers! Make sure we get out of the way of the warhead!" Ohgi ordered as he braced himself for the sudden shift in the ship.

"_No need for that! I'll take care of it!"_ A voice chimed in from the comms, shocking those on the bridge again.

Tamaki cheered as loud as he could as he then shouted, "Go get'em, Batman!"

* * *

"With pleasure Tamaki!" Batman said as he pushed the Batmobile faster to get up to the desired speed.

"_Required velocity achieved. Ready to proceed!"_ Oracle informed him.

He then flipped the transformation switch. The Batmobile began to transform back into the _Kin Kōmori. _When it completed its transformation, the bat-like Knightmare reached into its belt and pulled out the last glowing gold Batarang. Using the momentum it gained, the Knightmare threw the last FLEIJA Eraser Batarang toward the warhead.

The object made contact, and like last time, the warhead began to expand into its bright purple orb, but then turned pitch black and began to suck in on itself and vanish.

The shockwave of the action sent ripples in the surrounding area. It even made the _Kin Kōmori _fly back from the shockwave. Lelouch struggled for a moment to regain balance but was finally able to get control.

"Oracle! Do a damage analysis of the _Kin Kōmori _and the battlefield!" Lelouch ordered the A.I. "Let me know if any major systems were damaged and if any forces of Knightmares were lost when the FLEIUJA collapsed!"

"_You got it, boss!"_ Oracle said as it then did a scan of both the _Kin Kōmori_ and a battlefield check. After a few moments, Oracle gave him the report, "_No systems or hull damage was done to the Kin Kōmori. Any Knightamres in the surrounding area were knocked back due to the shockwave and those closest had the worst of having their Knightmares deactivated."_

Lelouch sighed in relief. Both that the _Kin __Kōmori _wasn't in major damage and that no lives were lost. He was about to resume the battle when Oracle picked up on something else. Reading the data she gave him, his eyes widened in surprise and amazement. He then placed in a call to his allies.

"Everyone listen!" He began, excitement evident in his tone. "Focus all your fire on the Damocles now! I don't know how much time we have until its too late but we have to do it now!"

* * *

Ohgi frowned slightly at Lelouch's orders. Nonetheless, he had to trust the masked revolutionary turned masked vigilante if they were gonna stop Schneizel from destroying the world.

"You heard him!" Ohai's voice rang out through the battlefield. "All available units focus all your fire on the Damocles now!"

* * *

The Ikaruga and any Knightmares not currently engaged with an enemy focused their attacks on the large superweapon. And to their great surprise, the blaze luminous didn't interfere with their attacks and they were able to hit the Damocles.

The bridge/throne room of the Damocles began shaking due to the barrage they were facing from the Black Knights and Batman's forces.

'What's going on?!" Diethard yelled in a panic as the room continued to shake and he grabbed onto the throne to steady himself. "Where's the blaze luminous to protect us?!"

Schneizel merely growled in anger. He then activated the comm system on his chair that connected him with the Damocles. "Engineering, this is Prince Schneizel, why is the Damocles' blaze luminous system deactivated?!" He asked in a tone that indicated he was furious.

"_Were not completely sure Prince Schneizel."_ the head engineer reported as his voice came through on the chair. "_The best guess we have is that when Batman stopped the FLEIJA, the shockwave from the disruption and our proximity to it caused a malfunction to the Damocles systems!"_

Schneizel growled an uncommon action, for him at least. "Well, how long will it take for you to get the shielding back up?!" He barked, again, uncommon for him.

After a few moments of silence and more violent shaking, engineering came back, "_At most I'd say 20 to 30 minutes! Maybe less if this shaking and barrage stopped!"_ The head engineer complained.

"_Prince Schneizel!"_ A voice came from another frequency that opened up, this one from the FLEIJA firing chamber. "_We have a situation!"_

Schneizel scowled. "What's the situation?" he managed to get out with a barely a snarl.

"_The FLEIJA cannon has been damaged due to the shockwave from the disrupted FLEIJA! We can't fire anymore until its fixed!" _The head weapons officer informed the Second Prince.

Schneizel's scowl deepened. "How long will it take for you to get it functional?" he asked.

The report came back a few seconds later, and Schneizel was not pleased with it. "_At least an hour!" _The technician reported.

"Prince Schneizel we have problems in the float unit!" The helmsman of the Damocles said. "If this attack keeps up, the Damocles' float unit won't have enough power to get us up to 300 kilometers!"

Schneizel growled again. This time it sounded more animalistic. Then he remembered something immediately, at lightning speed, he switched the comm system on his chair to all Kanon's private channel.

"Kanon, are you in position?!" Schneizel asked his loyal aid.

"_Yes, Your Highness!"_ Was Kanon's replay. "I am ready to proceed with any orders you give me!"

Schneizel gave off a devious smile that could match, if not exceed that of, Lelouch's. "Excellent! Launch immediately!" Schneizel ordered.

"_Yes, Your Highness!" _Kanon said as he closed down communication.

Schneizel then turned to the panicking Diethard and gave off an amused smile. "Calm yourself Diethard." Schneizel began in his routine soothing voice. "We have everything under control."

"**CALM DOWN!? UNDER CONTROL!?" **Diethard howled in disbelief at Schneizel's words. "**HOW DO WE HAVE THIS UNDER CONTROL!? BATMAN HAS STOPPED THE FLEIJA TWICE NOW! THE BLACK KNIGHTS AND OTHERS ARE FOCUSING THEIR WEAPONS ON US! OUR SHIELDS ARE DOWN! AND WE'VE LOST THE FLEIJA NOW! WHY WOULD YOU TELL ME TO CALM DOWN NOW!?" **

Schneizel merely remained silent for a few moments before he spoke again. "A wise chess player doesn't focus all his efforts and resources on one move, nor does an effective military leader focus all his hopes on a single weapon." He then smiled deviously. "Instead he has multiple weapons and strategies to fall back in case one fails."

* * *

"_Yeah! Let's do this!"_ An excited cheer ringed out in the cockpit of the _Kuro Kōmori. _Batman merely smiled at their excitement. While the Black Knights were focused on taking the now defenseless Damocles down, he and his forces focused on eliminating the remaining soldiers and keeping them from attacking the Black Knights. The Knights of the Round were helping too, those that realized their mistakes that is, after they finished their respective foes. Except for Anya, as she was still locked in combat with Jeremiah.

The _Kin Kōmori _fired one of its claw harkens at an enemy frame. When the claw sunk in, the bat-like frame pulled. The Knightmare was flying viciously toward the _Kōmori. _When it got in close, the _Kōmori _swung its hands underneath the frame, flipping it, and then brought its elbow down on the Knightmare! The impact caused the Knightmare to fall to the ocean below.

Batman was about to speed off to attack more Knightmares when Oracle came up with warning signs in the cockpit. "_Alert! Alert! Massive energy reading emerging from the Damocles!"_

Lelouch frowned in confusion at the warning. There's no way it could be a FLEIJA, the damage done to the cannon kept it from firing anymore. And based on the energy readings he received, the signature was similar to that to a hardon beam. Only it seemed to be about ten maybe twenty times more powerful.

The screen then zoomed in on the Damocles and Batman's eyes widened when he saw the monstrosity. He quickly patched into the Black Knights' frequency. "**All of you get out of their now!"** He yelled in a panic.

"_I'm not gonna listen to some freak in a Halloween costume!"_ A Black Knight pilot responded. Oh, the hypocrisy and the irony evident in that statement. "_I'm gonna take this_ _big ugly metallic pile of-"_

He was cut off when a large beam of red-black energy, similar to that of a hardon beam only way more powerful, was fired from the Damocles hanger. The beam then made a sweep across the Balck Knight forces attacking the Damocles, destroying them all.

Some were lucky enough to fly out of the attack, most were not. And the loudmouth was among the latter. "_Oh sh-"_ He didn't even get to finish as his Knightmare exploded! The whole battlefield froze as they turned to see about a third of the remaining forces of the Black Knights had just been destroyed in one blast!

"_What the heck was that?!" _

"_I've never seen anything like it!" _

"_Has anyone seen charlie squad?!" _

"_That beam wiped them out!" _

"_What could've done that?!"_

Were among the cries that came flooding into the _Kōmori's _cockpit over the battlefield. Lelouch's eyes shook in shock as he stared at the destruction caused by one machine, and it wasn't even FLEIJA.

"_Do you know the Legend of King Arthur?" _Schneizel's voice rang throughout the battlefield, as he began to answer the question on everyone's mind. "_He and his knights were noble and valorous men. But, they became legendary thanks to the guidance and wisdom of a sorcerer with supernatural wisdom and great magical power."_

Lelouch felt a pit begin to grow in his stomach at hearing his elder brother's words. He didn't know what was coming, but Lelouch was sure he wasn't gonna like it one bit.

"_Human technology has given new life to those legendary knights. Christing the best Knightmares with their names. But..." _Schneizel continued as Lelouch and everyone present could feel his smirk grow wider.

And he had thought correctly when from the smoke and ash of the destruction emerged a ginormous piece of metal. The body was similar to a Knightmare, but Lelouch, Suzaku, and others knew that this was no Knightmare. At least, not any Knightmare they knew of. It was bigger and more advanced than any known Knightmare to date, even that of the _Kin Kōmori, Lancelot Abilon, _and the _Guren S.T.E.I.N._

"_It was only logical that men would give this powerful and wise sorcerer new life and a new form for the time." _And then the smoke finally cleared and everyone, including the world, gasped in horror at what they saw. "_That time is now! Behold, the Merlin Knightfortress! The great sorcerer becoming an avatar of war! He will grant you true oblivion as the weight of your sins drags you down to the deepest levels of purgatory!"_

* * *

"What is that thing?" Nina asked as she stared in disbelief at the gigantic Knightmare on the screen she was watching. "I've never seen a Knightmare that big before!"

"That's no Knightmare," Lloyd said in an uncharacteristic tone of shock. His face held a look of absolute surprise.

"What do you mean? What else could it be?" Nina asked.

"A Knightfortress," Rakshata said, having the same uncharacteristic level of shock. Her signature pipe on the floor.

"A Knightfortress!? I thought that was just a rumor among Knightmare engineers!" Cecile said, disbelief filling her voice.

"So did I," Lloyd said the shocked look never leaving his face.

"Wait! What's a Knightfortress?!" Nina asked, clearly confused about what the Knightmare specialists were talking about.

"A Knightfortress is a rumor that goes around the most intelligent Knightmare designers," Rakshata explained. "It's meant to be the next evolution of technology, surpassing that of even the most advanced Knightmares."

"However, since no one had given any concrete proof or any design info, the Knightfortress was left to be a rumor among mechanics," Lloyd said.

"Well, it looks like it's no rumor after all!" Nina said as she continued to stare at the screen in terror.

"Schneizel must have brought in top Knightmare engineers from other countries to help design it." Cecile voiced out her thoughts. Then she looked down at a tablet that held information about the _Merlin_, "But how would they be able to power the Knightfortress? I'm doing a calculation of the power readout, and according to this, not even all the Sadakarite in Japan could completely power it."

"But I know what could power it," Nina muttered under her breath, causing everyone to look at her in surprise. "After doing a scan of the Knightfortress, I found that it's powered by a mixture of Sadakarite and uranium-235." Tears began to fall from Nina's face as she finished explaining. "The same mixture I used to create the FLEIJA."

* * *

"Thanks for the information, Nina. But I only have one more question? How do we take this down?!" Lelouch asked as he narrowly dodged another beam attack from the _Merlin_.

"_We're still analyzing the weaponry of the Merlin. If you got it to attack more, then we could get a better analysis. Do you think you could get us more info?" _Lloyd asked.

"Well if you want us to accomplish that by dying, then yeah, sure, no problem!" Suzaku held as he fired a Hardon blast from the upgraded VARIS rifle. The blast hit the Merlin dead on. But made no damage at all to the gigantic Knightfortress.

"_Hmm. It seems the Merlin has a Blaze Luminous system equivalent to that of the Damocles." _Cecile informed them as another volley of beams were fired from the _Merlin_.

"Okay so how do we take it down? We can't exactly use disrupt another FLEIJA to take down the shielding!" Lelouch said as the _Kōmori_ threw multiple Batarangs to the _Merlin_, which did not affect the machine whatsoever.

"_The Ikaruga's main guns should be able to at least weaken the shielding on the Merlin if I can get the specified ower that the shield is letting out." Rakshata said before she stated proudly, "After all, I designed the guns on that machine myself to cut through any layer of protection, including the Earl of Pudding's little Blaze Luminous."_

"_Little?!" Lloyd yelled incredulously. "Why I have you know that my Blaze Luminous is more than enough to hold out against whatever you build you little-"_

"Enough with the bickering you two!" Suzaku shouted as he just dodged a blast from the _Merlin_. "Right now we just need to find a way to bring it down!"

"_Well, what would be helpful is you having the Merlin attack you as much as it can so we can get more data through it." _Rakshata's voice came through the comm.

Lelouch grimaced. The only way to find a way to defeat it was to have it attack them even more. When he was Zero, he would never have a problem with that whatsoever. But now, he didn't want anyone to die. But they needed to find a way to defeat the _Merlin_ before the shielding on the Damocles went back up. And because of that…

"Everyone listen up!" He called into the comm. link that was set to broadcast to the entire battlefield. "We need to get the _Merlin_ to attack us more! I know that sounds crazy, but we need to get as much data from the battle so that we can come up with a counter-strategy! Can everyone do that?!"

He received multiple conformations and agreements to the plan, and he couldn't help but smile in gladness. "I thank you all!" He said. "But I have only one request," his voice then turned serious, and it sounded as if he was almost begging, "Under no condition, no matter how much information you can gain from it, are you allowed to kill yourselves! You hear me! Don't die!"

* * *

As Tohdoh heard Batman say that last statement, he couldn't help but be surprised. This boy, this man, who used to have no qualms about sacrificing others to achieve his goals, had just ordered, no begged them all to not do anything so reckless that would end with their death.

'_You truly have changed a great deal from what you once were. Haven't you Zero-no Batman?' _Tohdoh thought as he allowed a proud smile to form on his face. Truly, Lelouch had left behind his time as Zero and embraced his new identity as Batman.

That didn't mean Tohdoh had forgiven Lelouch, not in the slightest. But maybe, he had been wrong about the boy when he learned the truth, or more accurately, Schneizel's version of the truth. Perhaps if they were both fortunate to survive this battle, Tohdoh could question the boy again and get an honest and straight answer from him. And it didn't matter if it was an answer he didn't like, he would respect the boy for his honesty.

However, if he lied to make him seem justified, that boy would pay with his life!

But that would come later. Right now Tohdoh had to focus on the enemy in front of him.

He, and a few Black Knights and Britannian defectors, charged the _Merlin_ for their attack run. It was pretty much just a hit-and-run attack, provoke enough to get the _Merlin_ to fire and then evade. He only hoped he and his squad were as good at the evading as they are at provoking.

As they began to fire at the giant machine, they realized their weapons weren't even making a dent into the Knightfortress' Blaze Luminous. The Merlin then turned to face them and they saw it powering its cannons.

"All units evade!" Tohdoh ordered. They Knightmares did their best, but the radius of the blast was too large and the majority of the squadron was incinerated in the red beam. The ones who weren't destroyed were caught in the edge of the beam and their Knightmares became too damaged to function properly.

Tohdoh was among the latter group, though his Knightmare was more damaged than the others. The only thing that remained was the cockpit, as the arms, legs, and head were caught in the blast. Tohdoh himself had fallen unconscious from the power of the beam.

"**TOHDOH!"** Chiba yelled as the man she both followed and loved began to fall to the ground, as the Damocles was now floating above the Mt. Fuji area. She would have charged after him, but her Knightmare wasn't fast enough to catch him in time.

However, help dd arrive in the form of a red streak of energy that charged after the fallen Knightmare cockpit. It managed to fly around the Merlins attacks with such speed and grace not held by all but two Knightmares present.

It managed to grab the pod and pull up from the ground back into the sky. The Knightmare slowed down and that's when Ciba gasped as she finally got a good look at the machine that saved the love of her life and gasped.

"Get him to the Ikaruga quick Chiba!" Kallen ordered as she and the _Guren S.T.E.I.N._ turned to face the _Merlin. _"We'll take care of this! Make sure that Tohdoh's okay!"

"Kallen?!" Chiba shouted in disbelief as she caught the cockpit of the _Zangetsu _in her _Akatsuki's _metallic hands. "You came back!"

Inside the cockpit of the _Guren_, Kallen shook her head in denial. "I'm not a Balck Knight anymore!" She declared to the whole battlefield. "I fight alongside the Batman!"

* * *

Inside the cockpit of the _Kin Kōmori _Lelouch gasped in disbelief at Kallen's words. She came here, not to fight for the Black Knights or to save Japan, but to fight alongside him of all people. Did she come all this way for... him?

He then switched to a private channel he used to speak directly to her when he was Zero, hopefully, she still had it in her Knightmare's database. "Kallen, why did you come back?" He asked her, his voice still holding absolute disbelief.

The _Guren_ then turned to face the _Kōmori. _"Because I chose to!" Kallen declared, her voice was still powerful but held a sort of softness to it. "You never told me what I mean to you, but your actions, both as Zero and Batman, was all the answer I needed. If you wanted me in a safe place away from harm and risked your life many times to protect me, then I'm not just some pawn to you on a chessboard."

Lelouch was in shock, but then he smiled. He should have known Kallen was smarter than that.

"Lelouch, I want to see the future too," Kallen said, her voice now becoming incredibly soft and compassionate. "I want to find a world where we can all understand each other and see peace, not through conflict. Lelouch… let's save our tears for after the battle."

Though she said that last statement, Lelouch couldn't help but have his eyes glistening with the wet liquid streaming down his cheek. This person, this woman, who had always supported him and helped him in whatever way she could, had again come to his aid to help create the future he wanted.

He didn't deserve her. How could anyone like him deserve her?

"Kallen," Lelouch spoke softly, his voice cracking with joy, "Another time you set me back on my right path and given me hope in the darkest of times." He then smiled a grateful smile he never used so often before. "Thank you!"

Kallen, for her part, was struggling with her tears, barely keeping them at bay. She did want to keep her tears for after the battle, but dang it Lelouch always could make her cry. In both a good way and a sad way.

"Lelouch you idiot!" She simply said, trying to hide the happiness in her voice but failing to. "You know I'd follow you anywhere!"

* * *

Though Gino didn't know what was taking place between the exiled prince turned masked vigilante and the Ace of the Black Knights, he knew that any chance he had with Kallen was thrown out the window.

But, despite the small disappointment, he couldn't help but smile. "Looks like she was taken after all. Heh! Lelouch you lucky son of a perverse rebellious woman!" He then turned the _Tristan_ to face the _Mordred. _"Well, it looks like its just you and me Anya!" He then charged the red machine with the _Tritan's_ sword extended.

* * *

With the addition of Kallen to his forces, Lelouch now had a plan to get maybe at least one person aboard the Damocles, and he knew just who to send.

"All forces listen up!" He called the army with him. "I have a plan. All forces will engage the _Merlin_ in an attempt to distract the Knightfortress. Meanwhile, a small group of forces led by Jeremiah will sneak around the _Merlin_ in an attempt to infiltrate the Damocles. However, it gets too much, pull back immediately. Understood."

"Yes, my lord!" Jeremiah gave an acknowledgment in the comm.

The Ikaruga, the Black Knights, Britannians not loyal to Schneizel, and Batman's forces all launched an all-out assault to keep the _Merlin_ occupied with Jeremiah and his team snuck around the large Knightfortress.

However, as they were nearing the Superweapon, the _Merlin_ spotted them. "A pitiful attempt to deceive me and harm His Highness," Kanon said with contempt and disappointment, "No matter, I will eliminate you nonetheless."

The _Merlin_ then turned toward the squadron and fired it's beam weapons at them. Some had tried to avoid and dodge the attacks made by the machine, while others attempted to escape but failed to. All but one was able to continue on its trek to the Damocles, and it was no other than the _Sutherland Seig_.

"**GET OUT OF MY WAY!"** Jeremiah demanded as he maneuvered around the _Merlin's_ firepower, his cybernetic enhancements had given him the advantage to avoid the blast from the machine.

However, on stray blast was able to hit the _Sutherland_ _Seig_ and caused the Knightmare to explode!

… only for another Knightmare, a standard _Sutherland_ to leap from the wreckage and land onto the surface of the Damocles.

"My lord!" Jeremiah called into his comm. Link as he exited his Knightmare. "I have made it on the Damocles.

Inside the _Kin Kōmori, _Lelouch couldn't help but smile proudly at Jeremiah's accomplishment, even though it was reckless and caused the death of multiple pilots. "Good work Jeremiah!" Lelouch said. "Now begin doing what you can to sabotage the Damocles!"

"Yes, my lord!" Jeremiah said as he made his way into the Damocles.

* * *

"_Your Highness," _Kanon began through the comm channel on the Damocles bridge/throne room. "_I had no way of knowing that another Knightmare was aboard the Seig. forgive me for my failure!"_

"It is of no major matter Kanon," Schneizel said in his usual polite, 'not a big deal' tone. However, on the inside, Schneizel was raging at Kanon's failure, but letting the said man know would only cause him to become sloppy in his work and make more mistakes, and that Schneizel could not allow. "One man can hardly do much damage, we'll only have the soldiers dispose of him before he causes any major damage. Continue with your assault Kanon."

* * *

"Yes, Your Highness!" Kanon responded as he continued to fire the _Merlin's_ weapons at the enemy forces. He had managed to destroy at most two-thirds of the initial forces, but they were proving to be a more pressing annoyance than he thought.

And it was all because of _him_.

This was all his fault! All that His Highness had planned for the world was now put in jeopardy all by the actions of one stubborn boy who refused to acknowledge who was superior! He then glanced at all those who dared oppose His Highness.

"You all are fighting a useless battle," he commented as he disintegrated a squadron of Knightmares that the _Lancelot_ was just able to dodge, "You cannot win!" he then slammed the Knightfortresses fist into a Knightmare that was lucky enough to get in close.

"You're going to the slaughter for a misguided ideal!" Kanon roared as he destroyed another group of Knightmares. "Do any of you truly believe that Lelouch or Zero or Batman or whatever he calls himself will fix everything? Your delusional!" Mini-guns on the _Merlin's_ shoulders destroyed a couple of Knigthmares that were coming in from behind.

"I don't want to kill in vain," Kanon said. His eyes then went to the bat-like Knightmare and they were glaring daggers at it and the pilot inside. "Killing you will be sufficient and the others will surrender, isn't that right?!" He then trained all of the _Merlin's_ weapons on the bat-like Knightmare. "Lelouch, you must die!"

* * *

"Oh crap!" Lelouch shouted as he read the notification on the screen to his right and as Oracle reported it to him. "_Warning! Batarang supply currently empty, please resupply."_ Oracle's female robotic voice told him. In truth, Lelouch never thought he would run out of Batarangs for the _Kin_ _Kōmori _before the battle ended, but again, he hadn't expected this either happening either.

And it wasn't just Batarangs. He was out of freeze blasts, all of his claw harkens were destroyed, the REC rifle was destroyed, and several other systems were incredibly damaged. He was no Knightmare genius like Lloyd or Rakshata, but he knew the _Kin __Kōmori _wasn't going to last much longer in this fight_._

Another alert went off in the cockpit. Looking out the screen, he saw that all of the _Merlin's_ weapons were currently aiming at him. Kanon must have believed that if he were to kill him, then he would win a victory for Schneizel, and he wasn't exactly wrong in that line of thinking.

Lelouch braced himself to do a lot of erratic flying to dodge the attack when suddenly the unexpected, or the expected depending on who you asked, happen. The _Guren_ flew in front of the _Kōmori, _it's arms and legs spread out wide in an attempt to protect the whole of the bat-like Knightmare's body.

And it's pilot roared a cry of fury that no man wanted to trifle with.

"**STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" **Kallen roared with a fury equivalent to, or most likely even succeeding that, of a dragon. An angry dragon that was doing everything it could t protect what was most precious to it.

Lelouch's eyes widened in fear at the girl's action. "Kallen!" He called to her, fear evident in his voice. "What are you doing?! You can't fight him alone! Stay with the others!"

"I'm your shield!" Kallen fired back to him turning her head to see the bat-like frame, shocking him yet again. "It's my job to protect you! I want to keep protecting you!" She then turned to face the _Merlin_. "I'll handle things here! Get to the Damocles and stop Schneizel! Go and create the world Nunnally wanted!"

Lelouch's mouth went wide in surprise. Even after all the pain she suffered, pain that he caused her, she was fighting and risking her life to protect him. Why would she do this?! Why was she risking everything to protect scum like him?!

Lelouch gripped the controls of the _Kōmori _in frustration. He hated having to be protected. He hated it because anyone who's ever protected him, or tried to, has been met with death and unimaginable suffering. Shirley, Rolo, C.C., Euphie, and so many others all died because they sought to protect him. And paid the price for his weakness. And now it seemed Kallen was going to face a similar fate at the hands of the _Merlin_. And he couldn't have her be the next one to die.

But there would be no stopping her. She was just too stubborn to listen to anyone when she wanted something so badly, even Lelouch or Ohgi couldn't stop her. A trait that both irritated him, but was also something he couldn't help but admire about her.

* * *

"Kallen Kozuki," Kanon began as he stared at the famous, or infamous, red Knightmare that was keeping him from his target. "It is an honor to be able to fight one whose loyalty rivals that of my own. However, because that devotion is to the wrong person I must dispose of you."

"Are you sure it's gonna be that easy?" Kallen asked him, with certain danger to her voice that she never held before. "You don't know how dangerous I can be. And who's to say that the man you serve is not the wrong person for you to follow."

"This machine was built solely to destroy that machine of yours. Besides, Prince Schneizel is a wise and compassionate leader, more so than Lelouch can ever be," Kanon explains. "And he is willing to go the lengths and take the actions Lelouch would never have the strength to take."

"That's because Lelouch doesn't try to justify mass murder and world tyranny, unlike Schneizel!" Kallen fired back.

"Regardless, His Highness knows what's good for this world," Kanon renewed his devotion, "And Lelouch is currently the only one standing in the way of the glorious rule Prince Schneizel seeks to create. And if you are defending him, then you must be eliminated along with him and all that follow him."

"**JUST SHUT UP AND FIGHT ALREADY!"** Kallen declared as she then charged the _Merlin_ in her _Guren_.

The _Merlin_ attempted to blast the red Knightmare out of the sky, but Kallen was able to maneuver the _Guren_ masterfully around the lasers', bullets, and missiles that came from the gigantic Knightfortress due to her speed advantage. However, that advantage did little to damage the _Merlin_, as the Blaze Luminous prevented any direct attack on the gigantic machine.

* * *

As the scientist observed the _Guren_ and the _Merlin_ battle, the battle data they received from the _Guren_ was more data gained than any previous Knightmare that fought the _Merlin_.

Rakshata then looked over the data. "Based on these readings, the _Merlin_ Knightfortress has a power output about twenty times than that of the base design of my _Guren_." She reported with a slight frown.

As Llyod also looked over the battle data, he couldn't help but give an impressive smirk as he reviewed the data. "Interesting, when that girl first piloted the _S.T.E.I.N._, she had a sync rate of 60%. Now she's past 90! That's surely impressive!"

"Yes," Cecile noted, her face looking gloomed, "But even with that sync rate, She still won't be able to beat it."

* * *

Kallen jostled in her cockpit due to the impact of the missiles on the _Guren's_ Radiant Wave Shield. She then growled in anger. She'd been going at this for the past 5 minutes and she could already tell that she wasn't going to win this fight.

Kanon, on the other hand, frowned in his cockpit. When he saw the _Merlin's_ shield output, he knew it wouldn't last much longer against the _Guren's_ weapons. Meaning he had to take it and the pilot out sooner than later, and real sooner.

Thankfully, he already had the perfect idea of how to set her in a rage.

"You know, I don't think I'll kill you," He suddenly said, catching Kallen off guard, "That would be too merciful to one such as you. Rather, I think the most fitting punishment for a devoted knight such as yourself, would be watching me kill Lelouch in front of your eyes and feeling powerless to stop it."

When the words left his mouth, something deep inside Kallen finally snapped! Any level of self-control or military discipline was gone in an instant and replaced with a mad rage and fury exceeding that of a dragon! He said he would kill Lelouch and make her watch powerless? That comment alone made him deserve a merciless death from her!

Blinded by anger and rage, not caring if she ever lived through this fight, she shut down the limiter on the _Guren_ that kept it from going dangerously to full power. "_Kallen! What are you doing?!" _Rakshata's voice came through the cockpit of her Knightmare. "_If you disable the limiter, the Knightmare will generate dangerous amounts of rad-" _any of what she was gonna say never reached Kallen's ears as she shut off the communications with a slam.

The _Guren_ then charged the _Merlin_ head-on, with Kallen screaming a furious battle cry. The _Merlin_ attempted to shoot her down or have her deviate off course. But Kallen wouldn't let anything deter her from her target as she swerved the _Guren_ around the beams and missiles of the _Merlin_.

When she got in close, she was ready to unleash the full power of the _Guren_ on the _Merlin's_ barrier system.

However, right before she made contact, the shield suddenly dropped. Then the _Merlin's_ right metallic beam arm shot out and fired point-blank range at _Guren_.

The two machine's energy collided in a brilliant light. The shockwave from the collision was able to send Knightmares with damaged or poor stabilization features around them spiraling out of control.

The two machines struggled to get the upper hand on each other, but it soon became apparent that the _Guren_ was the weaker one of the two. It's Radiant Wave Surger arm began to crumble and break apart, but Kallen wouldn't move as she continued to pour every last ounce of power into her attack!

'_Lelouch.' _Kallen thought in her mind as she began to slip out of consciousness.

Kanon, for his part, was struggling to keep calm in this situation. He underestimated the full power of the _Guren_ and the fury of Kallen Kozuki. He got warnings going off in his Knightmare telling him that the Knightfortress' right arm was filling with the radiation from the _Guren._

Then suddenly, the _Guren's_ Surger arm broke apart and the _Merlin's_ right arm blew with a bubble of radiation that left the whole Knightfortress surrounded in a cloud of smoke.

For a small moment, the whole of the battlefield believed that Kallen Kozuki had succeeded in overcoming another impossible enemy.

However, that belief was proven wrong in the next moment. Suddenly, a gigantic robotic hand shot out from the cloud of smoke and caught the damaged Knightmare in its grip! When the smoke cleared the _Merlin_ was still there, only now it was missing its right arm.

"Your level of devotion is truly something to admire," Kanon commented as he closed his eyes in respect. His eyes then glared daggers at the helpless Knightmare in his grasp. "However, it is also your greatest weakness!" He then began to crush the _Guren_ in the _Merlin's_ hand.

Inside its cockpit, Kallen's eyes suddenly felt heavy. '_Well… it looks like this is it.' _She thought with sadness as she closed her eyes and entered a state of unconsciousness. '_Goodbye… Lelouch…'_

* * *

Lelouch felt his heart sink as he stared with wide eyes, full of pure terror at the scene before him.

The _Guren_, the Knightmare that could only be brought to its full potential by one pilot in the world, was helpless as it was being crushed in the hands of the abomination piloted by the faithful follower of Lelouch's greatest enemy.

As he continued to watch the scene, the faces of Shirley, Rolo, C.C., Euphie, Nunnally, and so many other people close to him that had died to protect him enter his mind. They all died because he wasn't strong enough to protect them. And now it seemed that another person would be added to that list.

Finally, the _Merlin_ released the pressure on the _Guren_ and the threw it down toward the earth. As he watched the _Guren_ fall through the clouds, Lelouch's mind finally snapped back into action. He shouted one word, _her_ name, with a fear that was never evident in it before.

"**KA-KALLEN!"**

He didn't waste a moment! He shot the controls forward with all his might and the _Kin_ _Kōmori _raced off after her at full speed. He dodged missiles, lasers, and bullets from both the _Merlin_ and Damocles, and ignored any warnings or cries from his allies to pull back as he raced after _her_!

'_Never again!' _He declared to himself. '_**NEVER AGAIN!'**_

As the _Kin __Kōmori _emerged out of the clouds, it caught sight of the crushed _Guren_ falling toward Mt. Fuji. Lelouch's eyes went wider! While the _Guren_ was infamous for both its firey pilot and power, no way could it survive a swim in a pool of lava, especially with the state it was in!

Lelouch pushed the _Kōmori _to its max speed straight down! Multiple warnings and red lights went off for him to pull up. But he ignored them all as he continued after the _Guren_. The autopilot setting was about to activate but Lelouch was able to override the action!

Another warning them when off. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me?!" Lelouch shouted in exasperation and annoyance. Apparent scans of the volcano showed that it was about to erupt. However, it was a small eruption nonetheless, but still! Lelouch had the worst of luck sometimes!

As the two Knightmares entered the volcano, the _Kin __Kōmori _shot out its right hand!

Time slowed as both Knightmares approached the lake of liquid fire. The _Kin __Kōmori's _right outstretched hand only meters away from the _Guren's_ remaining left.

'_Almost! __**ALMOST**__!'_

Then, in a miracle, the bat-like Knigthmare's outstretched hand connected with the last metallic limb that of the red Knightmare.

'_**GOTCHA!'**_

Pulling back hard on the controls, Lelouch did the same maneuver he did back when he and Suzaku were running from the Knights of the Round, only this time with the Knightmare instead of the Batmobile.

The _Guren's_ underside skimmed the lava and melted a piece of the Knightmare, however, the cockpit and the rest of the frame were unharmed. The _Kin_ _Kōmori's _wings then extended outward and the two frames were able to shoot out of the volcano just in time to avoid the small eruption of magma and ash.

Now that they were out of there, and Kallen was safe with him, Lelouch allowed himself to sigh in relief.

He did it!

He finally was able to protect someone that mattered to him with his strength and abilities!

He then switched to a private channel to talk to her. "You know," He began with a smile on his face as he took off his mask, "Your reckless, but you sure are a darn good Knightmare pilot. Just do me a favor and don't do that again. Okay?"

No response came from the _Guen_.

Lelouch frowned. He checked the status of both Knightmares. Both of their communication functions were still functional. So why wasn't she answering?

"Kallen? It's me, it's Lelouch. Why aren't you responding?" He asked her again. Was she still mad at him?

Inside the cockpit of the Guren, said woman laid down uncomfortably in her cockpit. Blood trickled down her head. Her breathing seemed to slow as if life was leaving her.

"Kallen come in?" Lelouch's voice was now slightly frantic and fearful. "Kallen, please pick up! **KALLEN?!"**

* * *

_It was a beautiful hill that overlooked the area of Mt. Fuji. the grass was flowing softly in the wind, the sky was clear of any clouds that would indicate a rainfall, the sun was not too hot, nor too cold for her taste, and best of all the area was only occupied by three people._

_A woman, Japanese by her looks, was donning a beautiful and radiant smile as she watched the two other occupants play around with each other. The older one, a male, who had features mixing that of the woman, namely her brown hair and eyes, and a Britannian man who was his father, with a red headband around his forehead, was chasing a young girl through the rows of trees around them. A girl of ten years, crowned with spiky red hair and beautiful blue eyes, donning a smile of pure innocence and happiness._

_As Kallen watched the scene before her eyes, she recalled this moment. For it was one of her memories, one of, if not the happiest memories from her time as a child. When all she had to worry about was whether she could beat her brother at any of the games they played and if she every mad mommy sad or angry._

_The day before Japan was invaded by Britannia._

_Ever since that day, she'd held great hatred for that country. Not just for what they did to Japan or its people, but it stole from her the chance to have more moments like this. That was what she was most enraged about, the fact the Britannia stole from her the chance to be happy like this again._

"_It doesn't mean it's gone." A voice from behind her said. Kallen turned around and smiled happily when she caught the sight of her brother Naoto, who appear the way he did before he did. "Just because we can't have moments like this with the three of us, doesn't mean that happiness is gone."_

"_What do you mean?" Kallen asked, not quite catching on to what this vision of her brother was saying._

_The ghost then pointed back to the scene, when Kallen looked back, she gasped. It was the same scene as before, but with a couple of key differences now._

_The woman who was smiling while watching her two children play wasn't her mother anymore, instead, it was Kallen! A much, but not too much, older version of Kallen to be exact, her hair had become longer and seemed to be almost a mix of her hairstyle when she was in the Black Knights and the from her time in Ashford. And from the looks of it, she was expecting another baby_

_And the two playing wasn't her children, at least not both of them. The younger of the two, a boy, of maybe 3 years of age, with her blue eyes and his raven-black hair, was laughing and smiling while being carried on the shoulders of his father. A father who had matching hair color with deep violet eyes, and the most distinguishable feature above them all, a simple but joyful smile donning his face._

_When Kallen saw the scene, tears began to fall from her eyes. Tears of happiness. Happiness she didn't feel for a long time. No. she never felt happiness like this before, and man did she want it badly now!_

_The wind suddenly picked up and the scene vanished in an instant. Kallen frowned sadly as she knew what this meant. It was time for her to go. And that meant…_

_Turned around, she rushed forward and embraced the ghostly vision of her brother. She held onto him as tight as he possibly could and cried in his arms._

_After an emotional moment, she finally let go and smiled at her brother. "Goodbye Naoto." She said weakly, her voice still teary from her tears._

_The 'ghost' of Naoto merely smiled. "Goodbye Kallen." He said sweetly as his body began to vanish along with the scene. _

_She then turned toward the sun in the sky and reached out for it. A blinding light encircled her as she heard his voice call to her.\_

_"Kallen?!"_

* * *

"Kallen?!"

Said girl finally opened her eyes. Feeling still groggy from waking up from the impact she suffered, she took a moment to take in her surroundings. She saw that she was in the powered down cockpit of the Guren, which was slightly crushed due to the pressure that was put on it by the _Merlin_.

However, she did notice that there was a small opening being formed from above her. Light entered her vision and she brought up her left hand to block it, for some reason, she couldn't move her right.

The light then blocked when a top of a figure clad in a black, gold symbol bat-suit looked down at her. Their face was filled with concern and worry and again they called out her name. "Kallen?!"

She wanted to say his name, but with her blurry vision, she couldn't get the words out without identifying them.

Finally, her vision began to clear and she gazed into his raven-black hair and violet orbs that could only belong to one person. With all the strength she could, she muttered, "Lelouch…"

After hearing her voice, his face immediately lit up with joy. His eyes now flooded with tears of joy and happiness at her voice. "Hold on! I'll get you out of here!" Lelouch said. He then pulled off more of the hull due to the enhanced strength provided by his suit.

Finally, with the hull wider, he reached his right hand out for her to take. She struggled to raise her left hand to him, but she was able to lock her hand with his. He then gently pulled her up and out of the crushed Knightmare.

When she was then face-to-face with him, Lelouch couldn't hold back his happiness anymore and enveloped Kallen in a big hug.

Pain immediately shot through Kallen's right arm as she yelped in pain. Well, at least now she knew why she couldn't move her right arm?

* * *

"I think that should take care of the bleeding for now," Lelouch said as he wrapped a bandage around the open wound in Kallen's forehead. He had some spare medical supplies in the _Kōmori,_ along with some first aid training from Sayoko. He also did his best to bandage up her fractured arm, but due to his lack of medical training, he said that they would have to get her professional help.

"That's good. That's very good." Kallen said as she looked around at her setting. Ironically, or coincidentally, she was on the same hill from her dream/vision. Funny.

However, she didn't share fate's sense of humor as was evident as she held her head down low in defeat. Lelouch noticed this and put the rest of the medical supplies down, then maneuvered to look Kallen directly in the eyes.

"Kallen, what's wrong?" He asked in a soft, concerned tone of voice, the same tone he used when Nunnally seemed to be troubled.

She tried to look away from him, shame filling her eyes. "Lelouch," She began, her voice breaking slightly, "I… I'm sorry!"

Her words caused Lelouch to jump back. A confused, yet again concerned frown appeared on his face. "For what?" He inquired.

Kallen's eyes then started to fill with tears again. "I wasn't able to destroy the Merlin, and you had to risk your life to save a useless soldier like me. I don't deserve your kindness! I failed you!" Kallen yelled.

Lelouch backed up in surprise. Kallen was upset because she wasn't able to win against the Knightfortress and because she got defeated, leaving Lelouch to risk his life to save her. Lelouch merely sighed and shook his head. '_This girl…'_

He then pulled Kallen gently into a hug, being careful not to hurt her arm again. The action caused Kallen to gasp, then blushed slightly.

"Don't even," Lelouch said, his voice soft and full of kindness, "Don't even for a second believe that you don't deserve any of my gratitude or relief of your safety. It's me who's unworthy of such forgiveness and kindness from someone like you."

"You've _never_ failed me." Lelouch continued, emphasizing the word. "Never had, never will. It's me who's failed you more times than I could count. Yet all those times you kept coming back for some reason. Your not a coward or a failure, I am. I let others fight my battles instead of doing it myself, I let others suffer a price I should have paid a long time ago. But most of all, I'm the one who's sorry. I've let you suffer all this time with all this doubt, this guilt, this fear, all because of my cowardice and selfishness."

As he backed out of the hug, he stared into her beautiful blue eyes, the eyes that he couldn't help but be captivated by. Taking a deep breath to brace himself he said, "I should have told you this the moment I realized it." His eyes held in them a look that she'd never seen him hold before, not even around Nunnally. A look of love. "I should have said these words the moment I realized what it was what I was feeling."

Kallen was trembling. Was this happening or was it all just a dream? A glorious dream that she was terrified to wake up from?

"I love you, Kallen."

Kallen gasped in surprise at Lelouch's words. As she heard those four words, everything else faded away. The pain, the anger, the fear, the battle, the fate of the world, everything, gone. It was only them and the feelings they had for each other on that hill.

The words she desperately wanted to hear for so long played again in her mind. To hear them come from _him._ Now that she heard them, she couldn't stop the tears of absolute joy fall from her face. She bowed her head in embarrassment, not wanting him to see her cry.

She then felt a hand on her cheek to move her head gently to face Lelouch. She stared into his purple eyes that had somehow managed to capture her heart. Lelouch placed his other hand on her opposite cheek and took a step closer to her. Kallen's eyes stared at him with certain curiosity at his actions, but then, all of a sudden it clicked in her mind. Closing her eyes, she let her head be guided up to his.

Their lips came together in a kiss.

And there was nothing to describe it. It was a gentle meeting of lips, yet it was full of passion never known to either of the two. Kallen wrapped her arms around his body, ignoring the pain in her right as she did so and solely focused on him. Lelouch used his hands to turn her head slightly, turning his own to deepen the kiss, and Kallen pulled him closer in response. They were letting their feelings out in the kiss, all the pain, suffering, joy, sadness, relief, warmth, happiness, all of their emotions emptied into the kiss. It was without a doubt the greatest thing that either of them had experience in their lifetime.

After a long moment of wonderful satisfaction, they broke the wonderful embrace for air. And then they were simply content with holding on to each other in their arms. The sun then shined down upon them and they felt the warmth of its rays hitting their skin. It's warmth combined with their bodily warmth created a feeling neither of them wanted to lose.

A warm smile was donned on Lelouch's face as he held onto her, simply happy with just holding on to the one who mattered to him most. Kallen's face donned a loving smile and tears were falling, tears of pure and absolute joy. "I've… loved you always… Lelouch." She said, her voice slightly breaking because of the happiness she was feeling.

"I love you too, Kallen." Lelouch simply said back to her.

They stayed like that for a long time, neither wanting to break apart and return to the world they currently lived in.

However, that was not to be when an alarm on Lelouch's gauntlet went off. Lelouch sighed in annoyance at the interruption and pulled up Oracle. "Oracle, what's the alert?" He ashed the A.I. that appeared as a holographic head on his gauntlet.

"_I'm sorry to bother you, sir," _Oracle reported in an apologetic robotic tone. "_But according to data, the Damocles is at 200 kilometers in the sky and is rising."_

Lelouch and Kallen gasped at the information. Was it that close? They spent too much time together, though neither regretted it.

Lelouch sighed again, more in disappointment this time. '_Welcome back to reality.' _A voice in his head told him as he turned back to Kallen and took her hands. "I'm sorry," Lelouch said, regret clear in his tone. "I have to go."

Kallen smiled and merely shook her head in dismissal of his apologies. She was sad, but yet at the same time, happy and proud of Lelouch. "It's okay." She said, trying to restore confidence in Lelouch and herself. "Go. Go and show the world the hero you are. The hero they deserve." She then smirked in amusement. "But one condition: no dying."

Lelouch chuckled slightly at the joke, though he knew she was being completely serious. "Yes, ma'am!"

His face then fell slightly. Though he wanted to say it, he couldn't lie to her again, never again. "You know," He began, "I'm going up against the man whose always been able to best me, whether in chess or war. And I'll be fighting an army on board the Damocles with only a cyborg enhanced soldier to help me. And a majority of my forces are busy fighting an indestructible war machine. So I can't make a promise that I'll come back to you alive."

Kallen's face fell at those words, but she was still strangely happy. Because Lelouch didn't lie to her, he was honest, and that's all she wanted from him, was, to be honest about himself from now on.

"But I will promise you this," Lelouch suddenly said, wiping a tear away from Kallen's eyes, "I'll do whatever it takes to come back to you. Just have faith."

Kallen smiled sadly as he made that promise. While it wasn't the one she wanted, she was happier with this one, because she knew he meant every word he said in that promise, there was no hint of deceit in making that promise. And she believed him.

Lelouch then leaned over to her and kissed her on the forehead. He then began to walk back over to the _Kin_ _Kōmori_ when Kallen called out again. "Lelouch wait!" She shouted.

He turned around to see her, and in her hands, was his mask. He frowned slightly. How did she get a hold of it? Nevertheless, Lelouch walked over to grab the mask from her hands, only to have Kallen back away when he reached for it. He then frowned again in confusion toward her actions, but after getting a look in her eyes, it then dawned on him.

She wanted to put the mask on herself. He sighed again. '_This girl.' _He thought. Nevertheless, he put his hands down and waited for her to approach.

She walked to him slowly, carefully lifting the mask over his body onto his head. When she got it firmly on his head, she stopped before she pulled it over his eyes. She stared at the violet orbs, studying them, and memorizing their look in case she never saw them again, or at least saw them they way they were now.

Then, without warning, her hands let go of the mask and went to his face to pull him into a sudden kiss. Lelouch reciprocated the kiss by wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close against him. They stayed like that for a while before they separated, the feelings they held for one another evident in their eyes.

Kallen then gripped his mask again and continued to pull the fabric over his face until it covered him completely. "Go get'em… Batman!" She said with a smile, a smile that Lelouch couldn't help but return.

He then let their hands be held together for a while before he finally, yet slowly, let go and walked to the _Kin_ _Kōmori._ He entered the cockpit and then began to startup procedures. The screen then popped up and Kallen was there, when he caught sight of her face, he moved his hand over her cheek. And to his surprise, she placed her hand over that same spot, as if she knew he was trying to comfort her even without touching. He let his hand linger on the screen like that for a moment before he removed his hand and continued to the start-up of the bat-like Knightmare.

The _Kin_ _Kōmori's _white eyes suddenly flashed awake, the bat-symboled glowed gold, signifying the machine had now awakened. It then stood up from it's kneeling position and looked down at Kallen one more time.

Then the _Kin_ _Kōmori _extended its golden-colored energy bat wings and took off into the sky. Flying itself and its pilot towards a battle that would either gift him with eternal victory over a long time foe, or a final defeat that would send the world into destruction.

**A/N: I'm back! No need to worry folks, I'm not dead nor do I have the Coronavirus! I'm alive and I'm back in action! Sorry for the long wait, But with Cornavirus and School shut down, I haven't been able to write that much, and while school being shut down is great, that's where I would usually write my story when I had free time, but also with home school, I just haven't been able to do the energy and power to write this. But that doesn't mean I'm done. I'll finish this story no matter what! Sorry for the long wait.**

**Also with the kiss between Kallen and Lelouch, the first one, I got the inspiration for it from this other anime called Rahxephon. Just go on Youtube and look up Rahxephon Ayoto x Haruka Far Away music video. the kiss Between those two is like the most romantic I've ever seen in anime. **

**Also in regards to the ****_Merlin_**** Knightfortress. I have to be honest, I got the idea from another Code Geass fanfiction called The World I knew (Revised) by Ari1027Nicole and a fanmade comic called R2Remake written and illustrated by Bonzo. Though the term Knightfortress and the rumors behind it, along with what powers it, that I all made up. If you want a visual of it, there are pictures in the Fan-made comic, its a good comic, so view it. Warning: There are some inappropriate images in the story, so if you just want the Merlin picture, just read the last page of issue 23 and the first half of 24.**

**I also made it past 100,000 words! Wow! now that is an achievement for me!**

**Next time, Lelouch pulls off a dangerous ploy to enter the Damocles and stop Schneizel once and for all, but the Second Prince still has one card up his sleeve to at least cause Lelouch to doubt himself. Meanwhile, the man himself hatches a dangerous plot to finally be rid of Batman once and for all. But the danger Schneizel unleashes has consequences none could see coming.**


	12. Beneath The Masks They Wear

**A/N: I do not own Code Geass or Batman Beyond. They belong to Sunrise and Warner Bros. animation respectively, so please don't sue me or throw me in jail!**

**Anyway, onto the Chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it.**

"Dang it!" Suzaku shouted as he narrowly dodged a blast from the _Merlin_ after his attack did nothing to it. They thought when Kallen had destroyed one of its arms the _Merlin's_ defenses would be weaker. Unfortunately, that hope was unfounded as the _Merlin_ continued a devastating barrage of destruction, albeit at a lesser level due to the loss of a limb.

Llyod, Cecile, and the Knightmare specialist were trying to understand how Kallen was able to deal a blow at such close range when Suzaku was only met with resistance when he tried. Thye had yet to yield any weakness for the to exploit yet. They told them to wait for a little longer…

… Which was getting harder with every passing minute!

And to make matters worse, the Damocles was over 200 kilometers! Less than a hundred more and Schneizel will be able to target anywhere on Earth. And then he'll fire on all the major cities, possibly killing millions of people. Probably billions!

_"We've already lost over half our forces to that monstrosity!"_ Ohgi's voice shot came through the _Lancelot's_ comm system. _"We can't hold out much longer! We need a plan!"_

Before Suzkau could respond to his statement another voice chimed into the comm system. _"Sir Kururugi! We have a problem!"_

"Jeremiah!?" Suzaku said as he dodged another blast from the Merlin. "What's the situation?"

_"The Damocles blaze luminous system will be operational in mere moments!"_ Jeremiah reported.

Suzaku's eyes widened. "Can you shut it down once it activates?!" Suzaku asked as the _Lancelot_ fired a volley of energy shots at the _Merlin_, which did not affect the machine any more than the last attacks did.

_"Unfortunately no," _Jeremiah reported with great displeasure. _"It's guarded by numerous soldiers that would undoubtedly overwhelm me. And Lord Lelouch has explicitly told me that he doesn't want me dying in any, in his own words, 'crazy Suzaku-styled suicide plans'."_

Suzaku sighed in annoyance as he shook his head. _'And he still says I'm the suicidal one?!'_ Suzaku thought as he maneuvered the _Lancelot_ around a blast of missiles.

_"What should I do Sir Kururugi?!"_ Jeremiah asked.

Suzaku had a look of bewilderment at the comm system as two men just asked him to come up with a plan.

Were they crazy?!

"Why are you asking me?!" Suzaku asked as he again failed to deliver any damage to the Merlin. "I don't come up with plans, I execute them or sabotage them! That's Lelouch's specialty!"

_"Well, it's a good thing I'm here then!"_ A new voice came through the _Lancelot's_ comms.

Suzaku blinked at the newcomer's voice and looked toward the clouds. Suddenly, a familiar bat-like Knightmare emerged from the clouds in front of all of them. It's golden bat-like wings extended out wide, ready for battle. Suzaku smiled at the appearance of both the Knightmare and the pilot. "Lelouch!" He shouted with joy.

_"Hey, guys! Did someone order up a plan?!"_ Lelouch joked. Suzaku blinked in surprise. Lelouch made a joke?! He has changed.

_"What about Kallen?!"_ Ohgi's voice came through, sounding distressed. _"Is she okay?!"_

_"Don't worry, she's fine! Here! I'm sending you coordinates to pick her up!"_ Lelouch said as Suzkau heard him begin to type in the numbers and send them to the Ikaruga.

After a moment, he heard Ohgi let out a sigh of relief. _"Thank you, Lelouch,"_ Ohgi said quietly, so no one else could hear him.

_"I didn't do it for you!"_ Lelouch's voice cut back in, much colder than it was a second ago. The tone took Suzaku a bit by surprise. A moment of silence passed before Lelouch spoke again, the ice in his tone gone. _"Forget about it, for now, I have a plan! Jeremiah, stay put for now! Soon some of those soldiers will be called away."_

_"Yes my Lord!"_ Jeremiah said with such strength and loyalty in his voice.

Suzaku could then hear Lelouch turn the comm to the open frequency between the Black Knights and their forces. Meaning now he was to be referred to as Batman.

"_All Black Knight and Britannia forces present, it's Batman!"_ Batman began. _"Listen to me now I have a plan!"_ The battlefield mostly froze as all those present listened to the words of the Dark Knight._ "I need all of you to concentrate your fire on the Merlin Knightfortress! Don't try to destroy it just distract it! I'll charge straight forward and try to get past the Merlin while it's being distracted!"_

Then there was a sudden outcry of comments about his sanity throughout the _Lancelot's_ cockpit. Suzaku had to admit the idea was crazy, even for Lelouch. It even sounded like something Suzaku would do. Which is why he knew what he had to do.

"Listen up all of you!" He shouted! The cries of insanity and rejections stopped instantly as they all heard what the pilot of the _Lancelot_ had to say. "Batman has a plan. I'll admit a crazy one, but it's still a plan! So we have to do all we can to make sure he succeeds in that plan! You all understand!?"

There was silence for a moment. Then, the _Lancelot's_ cockpit was filled with agreements and voices of support in the 'bat freak's' crazy idea!

* * *

Lelouch gave a small chuckle at Suzkau's words as he shut the comm system of the _Kin Kōmori._ Leave it to Suzaku to always support any plan that could lead to his death. But truly he was thankful to Suzaku for the help he'd given him for these past few months. He couldn't have become Batman without him.

But now was not the time to dwell on the past. Now was the time to look to the future and take action to reach it!

"Oracle!" Batman called to the _Kin Kōmori's_ A.I.

_"Yeah, boss!?"_ Oracle asked in her robotic voice.

"Divert all remaining power to the _Kin Kōmori's _energy bat wings." He told her as he began to manual prepare the key system for this plan of his to succeed. "Have all that power go to the wings' speed and absolute defense system."

_"You got it, boss!"_ Oracle responded as she had begun to do so.

On the outside, the _Kin Kōmori's_ golden energy bat wings seemed to shine brighter than ever before. It's white eyes, golden lines across its body, and gold glowing bat-symbol also increased in luminosity.

Back in the cockpit, Batman took a deep breath and waited. He only had one shot at this, he had to make it count!

Then suddenly, all the Knightmares on his side began a concentrated attack on the _Merlin_! Thanks to its blaze luminous, they didn't even scratch it, but they sure as heck distracted it. Which was all Lelouch needed!

"Okay, let's do this!" Batman shouted as he shot the controls forward and the _Kin Kōmori_ blasted with speed, not any Knightmare before had possed, to the _Merlin_ and Damocles.

* * *

Kanon saw him coming (how couldn't he?), but with the assault of Batman's forces, he couldn't do anything without endangering himself.

However, when he knew the _Kin Kōmori_ would reach the Damocles if he didn't intervene, he knew what would happen if he did try and destroy it, but he had no choice but to take the chance to stop it now. Before it and it's pilot reached Prince Schneizel.

Having the _Merlin's_ weapons aim the bat-like Knightmare, Kanon waited for the perfect moment of lag to fire the _Merlin's_ canon's at the frame.

Then that time came! He dropped the Black luminous briefly and fired a beam at the _Kin Kōmori!_

* * *

Batman brought up the _Kin Kōmori's_ left energy bat wing just in time to block the blast. The entire Knightmare frame shook due to the power and energy behind the attack but kept going. Batman struggled to keep the _Kin __Kōmori_ flying, despite the strain and pressure it was facing.

Finally, the wing couldn't take anymore and be then blown off! Though the _Kin Kōmori_ itself was still intact and continued it's charged to the Damocles, although at half the speed.

"This should be close enough!" Batman told himself as he began the final preparations for the key element in his plan.

After flipping a few more switches and dials, two handles popped up to the sides of the pilot seat. Batman then released his control of the _Kuro Kōmori_ and gripped the handlebars. And just in time as the _Merlin_ was preparing for another beam attack. He really hoped what Lloyd and Rakshata said about this feature was true!

Batman breathed heavily before he composed himself with a deep, calming breath. "Goodbye Oracle!"

_"Goodbye, boss!" _Oracle responded with a somber tone.

The _Merlin_ then fired its energy beam toward the _Kin Kōmori_ dead set on eliminating it for good! **'NOW!'** Batman thought in his head as he yanked on the handles with all his strength. Suddenly, the _Kin Kōmori's_ cockpit hatch was shot open, leaving the inside exposed.

Then, like a bullet from a rail gun, Batman was shot out of the _Kin Kōmori_ at blazing speed just before the _Merlin's_ beams destroyed the bat-like Knightmare! The frame erupted into a brilliant explosion that its pilot wanted no part in! He then fired off his rocket boosters and extended his black-golden wings and zoomed off past the _Merlin_!

* * *

Kanon's mouth was hung wide open in shock as he saw his target sacrifice his Knightmare and fly right past him. He then aimed to destroy His Highness' enemy, but his cockpit was jostled from an attack. He turned the _Merlin_ to the _Lancelot_ with its VARIS rifle aimed at it, smoke, clearly indicating that he already fired it, coming from the barrel.

He then looked to see that Batman had made it onto the Damoles just before the blaze luminous system came back on.

He then growled with displeasure as he then realized the true impact of Batman's plan. Not only did Batman board the Damocles, but he also exposed the _Merlin's_ weakness for all to see.

How could he had been taken for such a fool!?

_'Lelouch,' _Kanon thought venomously in his mind, _'You will pay dearly for this!'_

* * *

**"MY BABY!"** Rakshata and Lloyd both screamed out in horror at the same time as they witnessed the _Kin Kōmori's _destruction.

They blinked in confusion for a moment, then turned to each other in anger, heads clashing and eyes being dangerous as they glared at each other.

**"THAT WAS MY BABY! NO, MINE! MINE! MIIIINNNNEEE!"**

The exchange continued for quite some time.

* * *

"It worked!" Batman said into the comm as he magnetized himself to the metallic wall of the Damocles.

_"Yeah! I can't believe it did though!"_ Ohgi said voicing his astonishment at the success. His voice then became sly as he sad his next statement. _"Though on the other hand, it is you I'm working with."_

Batman chuckled slightly at Ohgi's statement before he then began to make his way toward the closest entrance of the Damocles.

_"How'd you know that it would work?"_ Suzaku asked.

"I noticed it in the fight with the _Guren_." Lelouch began explaining as he continued to crawl to the entrance with his claws and magnetic boots. "Kallen wasn't able to damage it until he fired his beam weapon at point-blank range. So that means he had to have the blaze luminous down when he fired. So I then theorized that he had to shut the blaze luminous off in the parts of the shield where he opened fire. And judging by the damage Kallen had done to it, I figured that the shield couldn't be in too great a shape to only shut down in certain places anymore. I'm just glad I was right."

_"What do you want us to do now?"_ Ohgi asked.

"Keep attacking the _Merlin_, but wait for an opening before committing a full attack," Lelouch ordered as he made it to the closest entrance of the Damocles. "I don't want anyone being reckless and trying to be a hero."

_"What about you?" _Suzaku asked.

Batman reached into his belt with his right hand and pulled out the upgraded cryptographic sequencer that Cecile made. It was updated with the most advanced hacking software, making his job at accessing restricted areas a lot easier. Though this was Schneizel and he was nothing if not cautious with his security system. It took a couple of minutes but Lelouch was able to open the hatch.

"Me and Jeremiah are gonna find a way to take the Damocles down from the inside in case you guys can't defeat the Merlin in time," Lelouch answered as he put away the cryptographic sequencer and climbed into the hatch. "Hopefully between the two of us we can find a way to take this thing down before its too late."

* * *

"Prince Schneizel! An outside hatch on level D43 has just been opened without authorization!" A tech officer told the Second Prince as he continued to watch the battlefield around the fortress.

Schneizel frowned and leaned his head forward on his hands in thought. 'That must be you, Lelouch. I must admit your plan was very cleaver. Using your Knightmare as a shield, you were able to land on the Damocles and expose the _Merlin's_ weakness.' Schneizel thought with both contempt and slight admiration at his younger brother's tactics. _'Well played Lelouch. Well played.'_

That's when it dawned on Schneizel that he wasn't going to beat Lelouch. At least, not the way he was now. He had to even the scale between the two of them, and not just mentally, but also physically. And thankfully, Schneizel had just the trick.

He then moved his hand over the comm system in his throne and turned it on. "To all personnel onboard the Damocles, this is Prince Schneizel," He began, "As of this moment, the traitorous pureblood Jeremiah Gottwald and the masked criminal Batman have infiltrated the Damocles. There is no need to panic, resume your stations and your duties and let the guards deal with these two. That is all." He then turned the comm off.

'"Do you truly believe that the guards on the Damocles will be able to stop those two?" Diethard asked nervously from Schneizel's side.

Schneizel merely gave a sideways glare to the reporter. "Of course not!" Schneizel said, blunt and devoid of emotion. "But they will surely give me the time I need to prepare." He then switches the comm to be directed to the main laboratory. "Dr. Powers?"

_"Y-Yes Your Highness?"_ Said doctor's voice came through, nervousness evident in his tone.

"Have both the serum and the chamber ready for when I arrive," Schneizel ordered.

_"Y-Your Highness?!"_ Dr. Powers asked, clearly bewildered with his Prince's request.

Schneizel's eyes narrowed. "You heard me Doctor Powers." His tone was icy.

Though the doctor couldn't see his face, he knew His Highness had his eyes narrowed and was scowling. Thus, for his safety, he relented. _"V-Very well! We'll have everything ready for you when you arrive, Your Highness!"_

"You'd better." Schneizel threatened as he turned off the comm, then rose from his chair. He then turned to Diethard. "Once the FLEIJA cannon has been repaired contact flip this switch and tell the person on the other line to open fire. Target the Black Knight flagship Ikaruga and then Horri Island." He ordered the man while pointing to the switch he was supposed to flip. He then made his way past Diethard to the exit.

Diethard for his part was frozen with astonishment. He was given a huge responsibility while the Second Prince went to who knows where. Which brought him to his only question.

"What will you be doing?!" Diethard asked as he turned to face Schneizel's back.

The Second Prince could only give a menacing smile in response before he said, "As my younger brother, Lelouch always says, 'If a king does not lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow.' Only I won't be leading anyone." He then turned to face forward and what he said next sent chills down Diethard's spine as the door closed. "I'll be destroying everyone."

* * *

The guard was knocked unconscious with a Batarang to his face. That was the end of another patrol Batman encountered in the past 15 minutes since he boarded the Damocles.

"Where are you Schneizel?" He muttered to himself. He tried asking the guards where he was, but they had refused to tell him. Saying that they die before they would talk. If Lelouch still had his Geass, this would have been much faster. Suddenly his communication system in his mask went off. "Yeah?" he asked as he brought his hand up to turn it on.

_"My lord, we have a problem!"_ Jeremiah said into the comm, his voice was full of worry.

"Go ahead," Lelouch said.

_"I overheard a pair of technicians saying the FLEIJA cannon is almost fully operational. And not only that, their next two targets are the Ikaruga and Horai Island."_ Jeremiah reported.

Lelouch sighed in aggravation. He knew Schneizel would eventually get it fixed, but he didn't expect it would be this soon. "Dang it! How long do we have?"

_"That, unfortunately, I don't know. They only said it would be soon."_ Jeremiah answered with regret in his voice.

Batman grimaced. If it was Schneizel, then soon meant sooner than soon. Even though they still had time before the Damocles reached 300 kilometers, this weapon could still claim millions of innocent lives before it reached that height. They had to slow it down.

They could try and disable the weapon itself, but the firing camber was too well guarded. Even with both of them working together, it would take too long. But then, another idea dawned on Lelouch. They still had to be ordered to fire it, and that order could only be coming from one place.

Bringing up a holographic map of the Damocles on his wrist, he searched for his destination. After a few seconds of looking, he found his destination. And not too far away from where he was now, the better.

He then closed down the map and sprinted to his destination. Hopefully, he could reach it in time.

* * *

As he stared out at the battle through one of the screens, Diethard's life flashed before his eyes and thought of the choices he made. He had joined the Black Knights simply because he wanted to be the one to report Zero's victory over Britannia. When he learned of Zero's identity, he switched over to Schneizel because his ambitions towered that of Zero's. And now he was put into a position where he had to give the order to kill. Oh, how his life has made a complete 180.

"Sir! The FLEIJA cannon is ready to fire on your command! The Ikaruga is now targetted and Horai Island is following." The weapons officer reported as he looked back at the reporter.

_'This is it.'_ Diethard thought as he was about to flip the switch Schneizel told him to on the chair and give the order to fire. Though Diethard was a manipulative person, he never once had to kill or give an order for mass death. _'Well, there's a first time for everything.'_ He thought as his hand moved for the switch.

Suddenly, an object came whirling in the air, snapped Diethard's hand away from the switch, and stabbed the comm counsel, disabling communication with the rest of Damocles. Diethard's eyes shook with fear as he saw the object that had stopped him from fulfilling his orders.

It was a Batarang.

Knowing what this would mean, he turned his head to see the figure clad in a black bodysuit, with a glowing gold bat-symbol, and long pointy ears. Along with a smirk on his face.

"Fire! Fire at him!" Diethard ordered in a panic as most of the Bridge officers pulled out guns to fire while some just fled to avoid the firefight.

Batman was quicker as the officers began to open fire. He did multiple backflips and barrel rolls to avoid the gunshots. He countered by throwing two electrified Batarangs shocking two into unconsciousness before backing behind a consul for cover.

The shooting continued for half-a-minute before they stopped. Turning on detective vision, he saw that three were approaching. When they got close enough, he leaped into the air, took two Batarangs and threw them at the two on the sides, and delivered a leaping sidekick to the one in the middle.

The one on the left came first before Batman could stand back up, but he was faster. He deflected a jab with his left arm, gave an uppercut with his right, then finished with a roundhouse kick to the officer's face. The right didn't even throw a punch before Batman delivered a hit to his gut. He buckled down in pain and then Batman gave a hard cross to his face that knocked him to the ground.

Out of the corner of his white eyes, he saw one about to fire. He then activated his jet bots and flew high before the shot was fired. He then threw a Batarang to disarm the officer, then charged straight down to him with a blast of his rockets. He tackled him to the ground hard with a slam and then, grabbing his shoulders and rolling over, he threw him over to another that was about to fire knocking them both out.

Another came running at him, yet Batman let him. When he was in arms reach, Batman shot out his right hand gripped the man's neck. He then lifted him in the air, the expression on the officer's face was pure terror, and Lelouch enjoyed that look. Then, he maneuvered his hands, and thew him overhead straight onto the ground with a hard slam, knocking him out.

The room was then silent, he gave a glance around to see that all officers were unconscious. Then he felt a gun barrel get pressed against his head.

He sighed in annoyance.

"Your story is over Zero!" Diethard yelled. His left hand held the gun pressed against Batman's head. "Your legend, your journey, everything is all over now! Accept it!"

He pulled the trigger…

… and nothing happened?

"What the-?!" Was all Diethard could say before his arm was twisted, the gun was pulled out of his hand, and was met with a black boot straight to his stomach that knocked him down to the ground on his rear end. Batman stood straight up with the gun held in his hand.

"Maybe you don't shoot a gun as well as you do a camera," Batman commented in disappointment. He then gestured to a knob on the side of the gun. "You didn't even know the safety was on." He then pressed the magazine release, causing the clip to fall to the ground, and broke the gun.

Diethard tried to stand up. Batman, roughly, helped him do so. When he did, he was then thrown into the throne chair. He scrambled to get out, only for two Batarangs to whirl through the air and trap him by the shoulders to the chair. He looked up to see his captor walking to him, a vengeful look in his white eyes.

"Where's Schneizel?!" Batman asked in a demonic growl.

"I don't know!" Cried Diethard.

Batman then reeled back his fist and struck the wall, leaving a crack in it millimeters away from the reporter's face. "Wrong answer! Try again! Where is he?!" He shouted with incredible fury.

"I don't know!" Diehard cried again, unaware that a warm liquid was leaking from the inside of his pants. "He never told me anything! All he said was that he was going down to meet with this Dr. Powers in a laboratory, but I don't know where it is in the Damocles! I swear!"

Batman's white eyes narrowed as he examined Diethard, it was almost as if he was searching his soul for any deceit or manipulative purpose. Finally, after a few moments, which were terrifying for Diethard, Batman lessened his grip on the reporter and sighed in disappointment.

"Should've known that he wouldn't have told you anything," Batman muttered under his breath. Diethard sighed in relief, only to have Batman regain his fury and shove him harder against the wall. "Where's the firing controls for Damocles?"

"What?!" Diethard shouted.

"You heard me! Where's the trigger to fire the Damocles?! You've had to have seen it by being up here, right?!" Batman demanded, his patience wearing thin.

"It isn't in this room!" Diethard told the man as he tried to find a way out of this situation without dying. "He contacted a 'triggerman' and told them when to fire."

"Well then, where is this 'triggerman'?!" Batman demanded.

"I don't know! Schneizel never said!" Diethard answered.

Batman growled in annoyance. "How did he contact them?!" He demanded. If he could find the source of how they communicated with each other, he could trace the signal back to where it was being received.

Diethard seemed to know what Barman was planning and knew what answer to five him. "I-I can't tell you!" He answered. An answer that did not make Batman happy one bit. "If-If I tell you, Schneizel will kill me!"

"And you think I won't!" Batman suddenly said in an icy tone that sent chills up Diethard's spine. The reporter's pupils suddenly shrunk. "I know that every criminal you've found that I've taken down is alive, but what about the ones you don't find?"

"B-But you don't kill anymore!" Diethard tried to counter to alleviate himself of fear. It wasn't working. "You've said it yourself that you're done with killing!"

"True," Batman admitted. "But we all know I can be a crafty liar." He smirked like the demon he once donned himself as. "And you know the old saying," Batman then brought up his right and then the claws extended. "'Old habits die hard.'"

That was when Diethard finally registered that not only a warm liquid had grown in front of his pants, but a har solid substance had grown in the back of them as well. He couldn't take it any longer. "The throne had a way to communicate with the entire fortress! The controls are right there! **PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!"** He begged as he pointed to the comm device.

Batman looked over to the controls. He then gave the machine a quick scan. After a few seconds, he gave off a satisfactory smile. It was indeed connected to the whole of Damocles. He looked back at Diethard to see he was still shaking in absolute terror and gave off an amused smirk. _'They're so easy!'_ Batman thought.

He was about to let go of Diethard when something in the reporter's jacket caught his eye. He reached inside and pulled what looked like a data chip out. He then saw that there was a label as to what it was titled, 'The Death of Zero'. He then finally released the reporter and plugged the data chip into a socket into his arms and a holographic screen popped up.

"Cecile," He called into his comes as he began typing away on his gauntlet computer, "I'm sending you an encrypted data card. Do me a favor and find out what's on it." He told the scientist. It could be nothing, but he wasn't taking any chances.

_"Sure thing Batman." _Came Cecile's reply as he closed down the communication between them. He then turned toward the controls on the throne.

He then accessed the communications that Schneizel made with the Damocles over the past two hours, which was when the battle began. There was a lot. So to narrow it down, Batman isolated the search for when Schneizel contacted someone at the two times the FLEIJA had been fired. And came back with only one location.

_'There you are!'_ Batman thought with a smile as he rose and turned on the communication in his cowl.

"Jeremiah!" Batman called.

_"Yes my lord?"_ The faithful and diligent servant replied.

"I found out where the person firing the FLEIJA warheads are. Meet me at the top of the Damocles in the castle as soon as you can."

_"Understood Lord Batman, I will be there immediately."_ The signal then cut off. Batman then turned back to Diethard.

The reporter for his part was breathing a sigh of relief that is was all now finally over. Though Schneizel will kill him if he finds out, and he will, and the Black Knights would try and execute him for his betrayal, it wouldn't matter so long as the two destroyed each other. After all, who would care about one lone reporter when the fate of the world was in danger. But first things first, he needed a new change of pants.

"You know you were right Diethard," Batman suddenly said, catching the reporter off guard at the sudden statement. Right about what? "The Legend of Zero is now over."

"But," He turned towards the reporter, his right-hand clenching into a fist. "The Legend of The Batman is just beginning!"

He then pulled back his right arm and flung it toward Diethard's face, then everything went black.

* * *

"Are you sure about this Your Highness?" Dr. Powers asked said Prince, who had traded his royal robes for only a tight, yet flexible pair of boxers, as he was being strapped into a vertical stretcher by Powers and two other doctors in a glass container. "You know what happened to the previous test subjects when exposed to the G-serum. And you're using the original serum."

"I am aware of the risks of the procedure Dr. Powers," Schneizle said sternly, the patience that was usually held in his tone now gone. "But to beat my brother in his new form, I must too be reborn into something else. Besides, I assume you know how short I can make your life." The threat was clear in his choice of words that made Dr. Powers and his associates move faster.

Before being strapped in, he heard a report that both Batman and Gottwald were making their way to the top of Damocles. That meant they knew where the 'triggerman' was, but thankfully Schneizel had one more extra surprise to slow Lelouch down before he could leave. And after he dealt with Lelouch and Jeremiah, Diethard would pay for his cowardice.

When they finished strapping the Second Prince in, the trio of doctors stepped out of the glass chamber. They then walked over to a consul and began the start-up process. When the startup process was complete, Dr. Powers then took a vial labeled 'G-00' with orange liquid and placed it into the injection slot on the top of the consul.

They gave each other a wary look before turning to the Second Prince. Schneizel looked at their faces and saw that they were asking him one last time to make sure he was certain about this. His answer was instant "Begin the process!" He ordered them. He then added. "If the process stops for any reason whatsoever before it's complete, I will kill all of you!"

The trio gulped. Then Dr. Power pressed a button labeled 'engage'. Then, with a hissing sound coming from the vial, the orange liquid began to be drained and traveled through multiple pipes as the liquid converted to a gas.

Then, the orange liquid turned gas emerged from the floor of the chamber and began to fill the room. Schneizel took a deep breath, bracing himself for his transformation, and closed his eyes.

Outside the gas chamber on the terminal was a progress reader. Currently, it was reading 20% and was growing at a good pace.

"Heart rate, brain activity, blood flow normal." A female doctor replied as she monitored Schneizel's vital signs. On another screen, it showed that Schneizel's muscles and cerebral cortex were increasing in size.

"G-00 serum condensation steadily going and showing no signs of corruption." A male scientist reported overlooking the status of the HG serum. On another monitor, it showed a virtual gas chamber that showed it being filled and there was no contaminates

Meanwhile, Powers was biting his hand nervously as he monitored Schneizel and the gas visually. So far they seemed to be fine.

However, when the process reached 70%, the vital screens started to flare! "Heart rates becoming erratic! Brain activity is going haywire! He's entering cardiac arrest! We need to abort!" The female doctor informed, going into a panic.

Dr. Powers looked at Schneizel to see that he was thrashing around uncontrollably in his restraints as if he was trying to break free. He looked back at the progress meter to see 85%. "Not yet!" Powers told her.

Schneizel's thrashing around was starting to lessen, but also was his brain activity and heart rate.

93%

Schneizel stopped thrashing completely and the vital signs showed he was flatlining, and he was now brain dead. 'Come on! Come on!' Powers urged as he looked at the progress meter.

100%.

"Terminate it now!" Powers order the male scientist. The man didn't hesitate as the gas began clearing from the room.

When the gas finally cleared, Schneizel laid there, his body now held a level of muscle that wasn't there beforehand. But he was motionless. The trio of scientists moved quickly into the chamber to try and stabilize him, but they were too late. His vitals had already gone down.

The group hung their heads low in mourning. However, what neither of them noticed, was that on the consul outside the chamber, the heart rate monitor was beeping with life. As was Schneizel's brain activity.

Suddenly, Schhneizel broke through the restraints and swung his arm at Dr. Powers. The strength and speed behind the attack caused the scientist to be thrown through the glass of the gas chamber and into a metal shelf. All sorts of chemicals spilled onto the Doctor as he laid unconscious.

In lightning speed, he grabbed the necks of the other two doctors and held them hi above his head, with ease. As the scientist held looks of fear in their eyes at their predicament, that fear only grew when they saw Schneizel's own eyes.

The once calm, cold, and calculating look in them was now gone as they were replaced with a wild, crazed and insane look in them. And his voice was even worse, "I told you, not to stop the process till it was complete!" He said in a tone that sounded nowhere near like how it was before. It was crazed, maddening, and sounding like it was holding in a laugh, and the smile was terrifying.

He squeezed harder on their necks as the scientists tried to speak but were unable to. They kept gagging and struggling to breathe until their eyes rolled back.

SNAP!

With a crush of their necks, they were both dead. Schneizel just kept holding onto them, just for the fun of it, but finally, let them go. And was still donning that crazed and mad smile. He walked out of the gas chamber and looked at the terminal and frowned.

"HUh? Guess they did wait till it was 100% before shutting it off." He said as if he was stating it as a matter of factly. He then shrugged not at all like he usually does and donned an innocent, yet insane, smile. "Oh well. You snooze you lose!" He said, not making a big deal that he just killed two people who he promised not to kill.

He then moved over to a secret wall panel and placed his hand don it, smiling in anticipation, not at all like he usually does! When the door finally opened, he smiled greatly at the contents on the inside of it and reached for one item in particular.

It was like an advanced sword, only without the blade and only the handle, a crossguard handle, but Schneizel merely flipped a switch and that changed that. A line of blazing fire then erupted from the handle, and Schneizel's madding pleased smile only grew at the sight.

"Looks like I'm having fried bat tonight!" He said to himself.

And then came the laughter.

The horrifying, madding laughter that could shake the bones of all those who heard it.

The laugh of a new demon ad monster being born to destroy this world.

The laughter of a man shedding his civilized mask and becoming a beast.

The laugh of a sociopath becoming a psychopath and a maniac.

The laugh of a goblin.

* * *

"The Damocles has reached about 245 kilometers and is still rising!" A bridge officer aboard the Ikaruga said as they all observed the massive weapon continue to rise.

Ohgi clenched his fist in frustration, this was going anywhere very fast. The Merlin had been able to wipe out a majority of their forces, even though now they had started to make damage the Knightfortress. And even if they destroyed the Merlin, the Damocles still had it's blaze luminous activated. And they haven't heard a word from Batman or Jeremiah for the past half-hour since Batman entered the Damocles.

"What's the status of our forces?" Ohgi asked.

"About 90% of our Knightmares are either destroyed or too damaged to fight. Only the Rounds and a few more than a dozen Knightmares remain, including the _Shen Hu_."

"The Ikaruga's shielding isn't going to last much longer against this bombardment, were gonna have to pull back soon!"

Ohgi gritted his teeth at the hopelessness of the situation. They needed a trump card. Something like the moves that Zero would pull to have them achieve victory.

_"Ohgi!"_ came the voice of the man that was just on the Japanese man's mind moments ago.

"Batman?!" Ohgi replied, surprised yet again at his impeccable timing. "What's your's and Jeremiah's sta-"

**"LELOUCH!"**

Ohgi was both interrupted and pushed out of the way as Kallen came onto the bridge and shouted his name and was moving at hyperspeed. He tried to grab onto her to slow her down, but one look, or glare, from her, told him he would die if he tried to do that. She turned back at the consul where his voice was coming from. "Are you okay?! Where are you?!" She asked, panicking for his safety.

_"I'm fine Kallen!"_ Came Lelouch's surprised reply. _"But what're you doing?! Your injured, you shouldn't be up and about! You should be resting!"_

When Lelouch sent the coordinates to where she had landed, Tamaki had been sent to pick her up. When they got her back to the Ikaruga, she fought hard against doctors who insisted that she get some rest, instead, wanting to see what was happening to Lelouch.

"If you think that I'm gonna just lie down and sleep peacefully while the man I love is risking his life, then you don't know me at all Batman!" She counters back.

Sensing this was about to erupt into an argument, Ohgi quickly got into the middle of what could be best described as 'a lovers spat' by asking, "What's your status, Batman?"

_"Schneizel's got the FLEIJA cannon back online, but the good news is that I know where the one pulling the trigger is firing from firing from," _Lelouch reported before continuing. _"Their firing from the top of Damocles in the castle. Jeremiah and I are already on our way!"_

"Okay!" Kallen said in acknowledgment, before turning to the exit. "Let me just hop into a Knightmare and I'll be there in a few min-"

_"No Kallen!"_ Lelouch's voice cut her off. _"I don't want you going out there and putting yourself in danger for me in the shape your in. Jeremiah and I can handle this! Ohgi, please keep her there!"_

"Understood! I won't let her out of my sight!" Ohgi replied immediately.

Kallen clenched her fist in both frustration and anger at Lelouch's order, and that fact he told Ohgi to make sure that order was followed. Here he was, doing it again. Pushing her away to make sure she was safe._ 'That jerk!'_ Kallen shouted angrily in her mind. But, then again, that compassion was one of the major reasons why she fell in love with Lelouch. _'That stupid compassionate, caring, loving jerk!' _She now thought fondly in her mind.

"Just remember your promise! Okay?!" Kallen warned him.

* * *

"Don't worry! I will!" Lelouch said as he cut off the communication and continued rocketing up to the top of the Damocles through a wide-open area inside.

It would have been faster to go from the outside if they were at a lower altitude. But with all its advancements, the batsuit wasn't equipped and advanced to fly in these high altitudes. Besides, even if it was, he didn't want to risk it with both the _Merlin_ and the Damocles' defense weapons.

And even though this route was slower, it was still faster (and way better) than taking the stairs! That would have been a living pain!

After passing a few more stories, Batman finally arrived at his destination. He landed on the floor and looked at a pair of doors blocking his path, he activated detective vision to see if there were any traps in front of him. There were none, and there was only one occupant in the room, sitting on what appears to be a chair.

Which made Lelouch worry. Schneizel wouldn't just leave it this easy for Lelouch. Maybe he had some hidden card up his sleeve that would appear the moment Lelouch opened the door. Regardless, however, Lelouch needed to get on the other side of that door if he was gonna put an end to all this madness.

He was about to kick the door down when the door to the stairs opened behind him. He looked back to see a guard thrown out of the stairwell and onto the metal floor in front of Batman's boot. He looked up and smiled to see the thrower in his full organic, and cybernetic, glory.

"Jeremiah!" Lelouch shouted in joy as he says one of his most devoted followers walk up to him and give him a small bow. "I'm glad to see you made it," he then did a once over of his body, and was surprised to see that Jeremiah was remarkable well, "And mostly unharmed at that!"

"Was there any ever doubt my Lord!?" Jeremiah asked with a hint of boasting in his voice before proudly saying, "Nothing could ever extinguish my burning desire to both serve and protect you, lord Lelouch!"

Lelouch merely smiled. "Not any doubt at all! I'm just glad you're alive!" Lelouch said sincerely, and he meant it. He didn't want anyone else to die for him or his mission anymore before he did. No one!

He then turned both his attention and his body back to the door that stood between him and the one who sought to murder thousands. "Onward Jeremiah!" Batman declared boldly. "Behind these doors lies the one who sought to destroy the UFN and the Black Knights!"

He lifted his leg and kicked open the doors. He then pulled out a Batarang, ready to throw it at any weapon the triggerman held!

And froze.

Completely, and utterly frozen. His body, his blood, his mind, his heart, his very soul, and being! Everything froze!

When Jeremiah stepped in, he also froze at the sight before him. Even his robotic gears had stalled up and stayed still.

"Who's there?!" Asked a small feminine voice from the sole occupant in the room before the masked vigilante ad the loyal cyborg came in. Odd. Normally when someone saw Lelouch, whether when he was Zero or Batman, they always knew who he was. But, then again, they weren't blind like she was.

The Batarang in his hands dropped to the floor with a clang. Lelouch stood straight up and tore off his mask to make sure it wasn't fooling with him. He blinked once, twice, three times to make sure he wasn't imagining any of this!

This was the trap that Schneizel laid for him. That trap the Lelouch could never escape from, no matter how much he prepared. The one thing, or to be more exact, person, that could stop him in his tracks no matter what kind of mood he was in.

His eyes began to water with tears. It couldn't be her! She died! Died because of him and his foolishness and arrogance months ago in the Tokyo Settlement. It just couldn't be her sitting there!

Yet, nothing could stop him from uttering her name.

"Nunnally…?"

* * *

_'Nunnally?!'_

The name of the cheerful, innocent girl flashed through Suzaku's mind. Even though he was fighting for his life against a monstrosity, he couldn't keep the tears of joy falling from his ears and the happy memories of their time together when they were only children. The girl he believed to have killed with the FLEIJA warhead months ago.

But she was alive! She was alive! He didn't lose another person close to him because of his actions! He felt the guilt that was holding him down for months be evaporated in an instant upon hearing her voice.

_'Now,' _His thoughts came back to the present and the battle in front of him. _'I just got to make sure I live through this to see Nunnally again. I need to see her, and apologized for all I had done to her and Lelouch!' _He then charged the _Merlin_ head-on with a renewed determination to live for not only his own sake but for Lelouch and Nunnally's as well.

* * *

Cornelia felt tears of joy fall down her cheeks when she heard Lelouch cry Nunnally's name. She, Lelouch, and Schneizel weren't the last after all! With Nunnnally back, they could now mend the bridges and relationships that were destroyed by their father and all this war.

But what saddened her most, was that Euphie wasn't here to share in it all.

That pained her heart beyond any sort of mortal explanation. She would have loved for Euphiie to be there with them all to be reunited as a family. But sadly, it wasn't meant to be. Euphie was gone, but she would want her sister and beloved half-siblings to try and repair the damage that had been done to this family.

_'And I will work for that goal! For Euphie's sake as well as my own!'_ Cornelia declared to herself in her mind._ 'Enough blood has been spilled in this family! I'll be burned alive before I let another one of us die because of selfish ambitions!'_

* * *

"L-Lelouch?!" Nunnally gasped as she heard her beloved brother call her by her name. For so long she had yet to hear that voice, and for so long she longed to hear it again. "Is it… Is it you?"

Lelouch walked cautiously over to his beloved sister, the sister he believed that had died months ago. He walked slowly, afraid if he rushed, he would find her taken away from him yet again.

While his lord walked cautiously over to Her Highness, Jeremiah simply stayed back and watched from the doorway. _'Maybe I haven't failed after all?'_ Jeremiah thought as a joyous smile formed on his lips. _'Maybe I can still protect Lady Marianne's children?'_

When Lelouch was only a for away from Nunnaly, he knelt to be at her eye level. He quickly examined her body to make sure that this wasn't some sort of trick Schneizel was playing on him. After a moment, he deduced that this was indeed no trick and that the one sitting before him was indeed Nunnally vi Britannia, his sister.

He took off the gauntlet of his right hand and reached forward to stroke her cheek. When he was inches away, his hand backed away, hesitantly, as if worried that if he made contact, she would be destroyed because of his curse.

But eventually, he found his resolve and began to stroke her cheek like he used to do. Nunnally gasped and jumped slightly as she felt the contact, but relaxed as she realized the person touching her meant no ill intent. She brought her hand up and elt along it to feel the familiar texture of the hand belonging to the one who was always there to protect her.

Her face lit up with joy. "It is you, Lelouch!" She shouted with such joy.

Lelouch's face morphed into a smile he hadn't used in a long time. It was a smile that he always wore when he and Nunnally were together. "It's me, Nunnally." He said, his voice breaking due to the tears. "It's me!"

Hearing his confirm her suspicion made her lea from her wheelchair and into his arms. When he caught her, the two siblings cried at having been reunited after over a year-long separation. Jeremiah himself cried at this reunion.

* * *

Sayoko, who had managed to escape from the news station which she hacked and was hiding out with the scientist in the Bat-bunker, couldn't stop herself fro crying tears of joy either. Lady Nunnally and Lord Lelouch were both still alive!

* * *

On the Ikaruga, Kallen couldn't stop herself from crying tears of joy for Lelouch. He has now reunited with his sister again, meaning now he could probably be truly happy again.

* * *

After a long moment of crying together and holding each other, Lelouch placed Nunnally back into the wheelchair. Only when he saw her face again, the smile was gone from it, and in its place, was a disappointed frown.

"What's wrong Nunnally?" Lelouch asked, confused at what could cause his sister such disappointment.

"Big brother," Nunnally began, struggling to get the sentence out, "I know that you were Zero." Lelouch then jumped back in fear and shock that Nunnally knew who he was! "Brother Schneizel told me."

And then, realization struck Lelouch. _'So this was your 'trap' Schneizel!' _He declared with fury in his mind. _'Using Nunnally as a way to make me doubt myself and keep me from moving forward!'_ It was ingenious, brilliant, and it made Lelouch that much angrier, no livid, at the action that Schneizel took! _'Schneizel, you will pay dearly for this! I will make sure of that!'_

But before he did any of that, he had Nunnally to deal with.

Lelouch was about to make an excuse, but he stopped himself as he realized what the point would be. There was no pint n lying or making himself feel, or have others think, he was justified in his actions anymore. If he lied to her now, he would be lying about everything he sought to do now and refusing to change who he was. "Yes," Lelouch said in a low voice, looking down in shame, "I was Zero."

"You killed Clovis?" Nunnally asked, her voice breaking by doing so. "You killed Shirley's father? You used your Geass on Euphie and had her start a massacre? Then you killed her? You started a war that killed so many innocent people?"

"Yes," Lelouch answered simply. The guilt of all the actions he made while wearing that old mask came bubbling to the surface of his mind and soul, "I did all those things, and even more terrible acts."

"Why?!" Nunnally cried, her voice breaking down. "Why would you risk your life doing something so dangerous and reckless?! Why would you put your life and the lives of others in such danger?! Please tell me, big brother!"

Lelouch was filled with fear. She wanted to know why he did all this, why he was reckless and dangerous in his journey and desires. But could he tell her? Could he lie to her again? He then sighed. No. he couldn't lie to her again. He had just got her back, he wasn't going to lose her again by lying to her.

"I made a promise." He muttered under his breath.

"What?" Nunnally asked, her ears perked.

"I made a promise," He began, his voice strained slightly, "That when you opened your eyes, you would see a kind and gentle world. A world where kindness would be extended to everyone, even strangers. But I knew that the world you wanted would never exist if Britannia still existed in this one. So I set myself out to destroy the empire of Britannia so that nothing could stand in the way of the world you wanted. But…"

He dropped his head down in shame. "... I now think that it was mostly an excuse. I just wanted revenge against Britannia. Revenge against our father for how he treated us, and so many other people. I wanted to burn that country to the ground and make our father suffer for the lives he ruined! Clovis I killed because he followed our Father's example by killing innocent people in Shinjuku so he could cover up a mistake. It was a cowardly move, and I punished him for it. Now looking back, I wish I handled it slightly differently."

"What about Euphie?!" Nunnally squealed. "She never hurt anyone! She only wanted to help those who were suffering! Why did you make her kill the Japanese, then kill her yourself?! Tell me!"

The guilt and shame were eating at Lelouch. Hearing those words and accusations come from Nunnally were breaking his spirit, making him want to stop. But she wanted to know, and he was done running from the truth!

"Because…" Lelouch began, his body shaking, he raised his hand to his left eye subconsciously. He felt as if though the Geass was now gone from its life, it's power was still haunting Lelouch to this day. "Because… because Geass is nothing but a curse upon all those who bear its power. It condemns all those who have it to a life of solitude." The warnings of C.C. floating in his mind.

"At first, the power is incredible." Lelouch began as he looked back on what the positive impact of the power came from. "To be able to do things that no normal human could accomplish with such ease. To be able to move armies with just the swipe of your hand."

"But," He paused as he looked down to his hands that were now shaking uncontrollably, "No power is without its consequences. And Geass is an incredible power, with terrible consequences. If a Geass is used too much, or if you have it for too long, it goes int something called runoff. That's when you can never turn the power off. Imagine, always hearing everyone else's thoughts, no matter where you are, and never being able to put them out of your mind. Never truly being able to look someone in the eye because you can't do it without saying something that could cause them t commit a terrible act."

Lelouch then fell to his knees after losing all the strength they had left. But he continued, "I lost control of mine at the worst possible time. I had originally gone to Geass Euphie into shooting me so that she would lose all credibility. I was about to do it, but then she told me that she had given up her claim to the throne to make the Special Administrative Zone possible. And then I realized that she created this whole idea so that I wouldn't have to fight anymore so that she could be with me and you. That's when I decided that the SAZ could succeed and the fighting could stop."

Lelouch thought back to that moment in time and thought what could happen if his Geass didn't go out of control. Could the SAZ work and he wouldn't have to fight anymore? Could so many lives be spared if he just kept his mouth shut and gone along with the plan? But as soon as those thoughts entered his mind, he shook them away. He couldn't dwell and imagine a different past anymore, he instead had to look toward the future now.

He then fell on his hands and looked to the ground, the tears falling from his face onto the metal floor. "When I told her of my original plan and my power, she was in disbelief at first. When I was telling her of some of the stuff I could make her do…" His voice was strained, making it almost impossible to get the words he wanted to say out. "I was only joking, but I said that with my power I could have her massacre the Japanese. But I didn't even know the Geass was turned on, and it makes the joke seem like an order, and she tried to fight it, but she eventually succumbed and followed the command. I knew that even if I had the power of stopping the Geass, she couldn't live with the guilt of what she did, even if it wasn't her choice. So to make sure I alone held the true blame of the incident… I killed her."

He then broke down into a sob.

* * *

Cornelia froze as she heard Lelouch finish.

She knew Lelouch was an expert liar, but when Nunnally directly confronts him about something, he can't help but be honest with her. And she just knew all he said was the truth of it all.

Lelouch never meant to kill Euphie that day or make her kill others. He only wanted to hurt himself that day. And he was even ready to give up everything he worked for to go along with Euphie's plan.

But that plan was robbed because of Geass. And while Lelouch may have said the words, he certainly didn't mean to do any such action to her, not when he did not know what could be brought upon by the use of such power. And he killed Euphie so that he would bear the sins of all the deaths that she order so she wouldn't have to.

Cornelia could only hope to live so she could make amends.

* * *

Ohgi's mouth and eyes went wide at his explanation he heard over the comm. He quickly made sure that the only ones who could hear such words were those who already knew the truth about Lelouch being Zero. But now hearing this, he couldn't help the guilt that rose within him.

He was wrong.

He was so wrong.

Wrong about Schneizel. Wrong about Geass. Wrong about Lelouch. Wrong about everything!

When he learned the 'truth' from Schneizel, he was scared, angry, and confused. So he acted in the worst possible way and tried to kill the man who he believed felt no remorse for his actions when in truth, held onto such guilt so that no one else would have to bear the burden of such crushing weight. And he only made that weight heavier. He hurt Lelouch and ruined him.

_'I don't deserve this Naoto. I don't deserve any of this.'_ Ohgi thought with shame as he looked toward his hand. _'I don't deserve to be in command of an army like this. I deserve to rot away somewhere all alone. Lelouch should have killed me a long time ago.'_

And then that's when it dawned on Ohgi. _'He knew that. He knew that he would have every reason and justification in the world to kill me and the others in the Black Knights. But he didn't. He should hate us and the UFN and want to see us destroyed, but he doesn't. He even saved both us and the UFN from destruction when he had no reason to. He saved us all and is risking his life to continue to save us and the world. And I treated him like a monster.'_

Ohgi didn't know what future laid in store for him, but he hoped that when this was all over, he could at least try and make amends with Lelouch.

* * *

"I understand Nunnally," Lelouch said after he spent a few moments sobbing, "I understand completely if you now hate me for what I've done." Nunnally gave a small gasp at that statement. "After all, who wouldn't hate me? I certainly do."

Lelouch waited for her response, yet he already had a good idea of what it was. He closed his eyes and braced both his heart and spirit for the inevitable blade that would cut them both out.

However, he felt a comforting hand on his cheek wiping away the tears. His eye's shot open and he looked up to see that Nunnally was the one doing it. Then, the most unexpected (at least to him) thing happened. She pulled Lelouch close to her and wrapped her arms tight around him.

She… she was hugging him?

"Lelouch, I can never hate you," Nunnally said, softly and lovingly. Those words caused the dam in Lelouch's heart to burst and the tears came streaming down his face.

"W-why?" Lelouch choked out between the tears. "Why am I being forgiven? Why am I the one who's being shown, love? After all, I've done?"

"Because I can never hate the real you Lelouch." Nunnally began. The 'real Lelouch'? "You say you hate yourself, but that's because you never let someone else love you as you. Not you when you were Zero or you that wore the mask as a civilian, or anyone of those masks that you put up ever since mother died, but the you that lies beneath all that pain, sadness, anger. You've closed that part of yourself off from others for so long that you couldn't find it anymore. That's why you don't love yourself, Lelouch because you simply haven't been yourself for so long."

Lelouch was shocked to his very core. After all, he'd done. After everyone he's hurt, killed, Geassed, and lied to, Nunnally claims that she never hated him and all this time he was running from himself. _'What did I do?'_ He asked himself. _'What did I do, to deserve the people I have in my life?'_

At last, Lelouch smiled and wrapped his arms around his sister as he cried out tears of joy. He had his beloved little sister back, the woman he loved was with him again, and he got his best friend back.

That was when Lelouch felt it.

The anger, the pain, the hatred, the guilt, the fear, the sadness, the very demon that had given birth to the darkness of Zero had finally died. In its place was a new spirit. One that would work tirelessly to both protect this world and make it a safe place for all to live in. one that would be a knight for justice.

He pulled back away from Nunnally and looked at her still closed eyes. Then he remembered something that he learned from his father in C's world. And this would be this new spirit's first act, to accomplish something that the darkness of Zero could never do. He turned to Jeremiah and nodded.

Understanding what his Lord had in mind, Jeremiah nodded in agreement. Then he opens his cybernetic left eye and the blue aura of the Geass canceler surrounded the entire room. As the glow began to die away, Jeremiah and Lelouch waited patiently for the Geass canceller to do its work.

Nunnally then felt that something changed within her. A sensation in the back of her mind. Like a chain that had been placed on her mind was finally broken. Slowly, almost struggling, she opens her once shut violet eyes and gazed at both Lelouch and Jeremiah. Her mouth hung open in absolute disbelief as she then looked down at her hands.

"I-I-I can see!?" She yelled in a confused tone at first that quickly turned to excitement as now was able to see her brother that she hadn't 'seen' in years. The smile on her lips was the widest smile she'd ever held before. "Big brother, I can see! How is this possible?!"

Lelouch then tilted his head and his eyes over to the cyborg to his left, which told her that he was responsible for this miracle. She wasn't scared by his appearance as a cyborg at all, though she certainly did find it surprising. Instead, she smiled sweetly and asked innocently, "Are you an angel?"

Jeremiah was then filled with inexplicable joy. He did it! He finally redeemed himself of his failure to save Lady Marianne. Nevertheless, he shook his head in denial. "No my lady." He said simply. Then he kneeled before the young princess. "You are the true angel. I am merely a knight who finally redeemed himself."

Nunnally then turned back to Lelouch and frowned slightly. It wasn't one of disappointment or anger, but rather, of confusion. "Big Brother…"

"What is it, Nunnally?" Lelouch asked his sister.

"Why are you dressed like a bat?" She asked innocently. Her face then lit up with excitement. "Oh! Is it Halloween?!"

Lelouch simply chuckled at his sister. There was certainly going to be a lot more of explaining to do when this was over. Bt right now all that mattered was getting Nunnally out of here and stopping Schneizel.

As Lelouch was preparing to pick Nunnally up from her wheelchair, Jeremiah heard a sound coming from the entrance. He turned to see a round metallic object in the shape of a ball bounce on the metal floor and roll over to their location. He examined the device with confusion, it looked almost like a pumpkin.

Suddenly, the object began to light up and beep rapidly, and Jeremiah knew exactly what that meant. "Your Highness'!" He called to the siblings. He sprung into action and pushed them away!

"Move before it-"

BOOM!

* * *

BOOM!

**"LELOUCH!?"** Kallen screamed with fear into the consul when the explosion went off.

The comm then went dead with unresponsive static. the only sound coming from the system.

"Increase the signal! We have to get into contact with them again!" Ohgi ordered the comm officer.

"I-I can't!" She said. "The signal went dead on the other side!"

Ohgi clenched his fist in frustration before pressing on the comm pad again.

"Batman come in! Please respond! Over!" Ohgi called.

No response.

**"BATMAN?!"**

* * *

Cornelia's heart froze when the explosion went off.

No! No, they couldn't be dead! Not them! Not again! Not when they had just gotten Nunnally back!

Cornelia couldn't be the last of the royal family along with Schneizel. Both of them were unfit to rule over this country. Too controlled by anger or logic to run this country to a better future. Only Nunnally and possibly Lelouch could lead once this was all over.

* * *

As the explosion went off, Suzaku froze in a slight panic.

Did he lose them again? Were both Lelouch and Nunnally lost to him again, only this time for good?!

Suzaku shook his head in defiance. No! He wouldn't be losing them again! He would destroy the _Merlin_ and rush into the Damocles to help Lelouch and Nunnally!

He then renewed his assault on the _Merlin_, determined not to let anything get in his way.

* * *

When the ringing in his ears finally ceased, Lelouch was able to see that the once clear white roo they were once in was filled with smoke from the 'pumpkin bomb'. _'What happened?'_ Lelouch thought as he massaged his still ringing head. _'The last thing I remember was Jeremiah shouting, then pushing me and Nunnally-'_

His eyes widened with fear as he realized Nunnally wasn't in his arms anymore. "Nunnally!" Lelouch cried out into the smoke, praying he didn't lose his sister a second time. "Nunnally!"

"Lelouch…" Said a soft, weakened voice.

Lelouch turned to the source of the voice and found his sister. She was on the floor, having fallen out of her wheelchair. He rushed over and picked her up in his arms. He quickly checked and saw that it seemed she didn't have any major bruises, mainly just some cuts.

He then took a look at himself and was surprised to see he wasn't too bad either, only a little bruise on his face, not bleeding or anything serious. It was a miracle that both of them escaped the explosion this unscathed. But what about Jeremiah?

"Big brother, what happened?" Nunnally asked a bit frightened that the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes again was an explosion.

"I don't know Nunnally," Lelouch said as he rose to his feet and pulled his mask over his head. As he was moving to activate detective vision, as a way to see where Jeremiah was in this smoke, a round object shot out of the darkness!

For a split second, Lelouch feared it to be another bomb, however, that fear subsided when the sphere split in half. A green energy rope connected the two halves, and impacted with Batman, slamming him against the wall of the room. He then heard was sounded like drilling coming from the balls, and concluded that the balls drilled into the wall to keep him there.

He was about to send an electrical discharge to fry the energy line, but the rope was able to send an EMP down his suit that deactivated its major functions. He struggled aimlessly to get free from the line but he wasn't able to cut it.

A majority of the smoke finally began to clear and then, Batman saw the one who caused the explosion and had him tied up. He was tall, taller than Lelouch at least. Slightly better muscle build too. And he was wearing what looked like to be a custom made battle armor. It was mostly snowy white, with gold armor plating at the joints, and a white hood over the head. And his mask, or face, resembling that of a-

"Hello, Batman." The 'goblin' said. Though his voice was slightly filtered by the mask and sounded different than it usually does, Lelouch knew that voice from anywhere.

"Schneizel!" Lelouch snarled at his elder half-brother.

"On dear brother, you are mistaken!" Schneizel began. "I am no longer merely the Second Prince of Britannian Schneizel el Britannia. No. Like you, I had to be reborn into something greater than I once was. I am," he paused for dramatic effect, "The Goblin!"

Lelouch frowned in worry. _'Something's not right!' _Lelouch thought as he took what he saw from Schneizel and made an analysis. Schneizel doesn't act like this at all. He was always calm, measured, and calculating, never one for the dramatics like Lelouch is.

And then there was his voice. Something in his voice had made Lelouch scared. Mainly because it was something that Lelouch, or anyone who knew Schneizel, would never associate with him. It was small, but it was there.

Madness.

Batman was pulled from his thoughts when Schneizel, or the Goblin, walked up to him and pulled over the cowl from his face. Usually, there was a security measure that would shock whoever touched the mask intending to pull it off without Lelouch's authorization. But with the energy line damping his suit's systems he was helpless. And he hated that! Goblin then pressed a switch on the side of his mask and it opened slightly to reveal the face of Schneizel el Britannia.

Or did it?

His face was completely different from the calm, cold, calculating person Lelouch knew his brother to be. Instead, there was a wild, crazed look about his face, and his smile was maniacal to go along with it. And his eyes! They were filled with that same emotion as his voice. Madness. And that look sent shivers up Lelouch's spin.

Schneizel must've picked up on the emotion because he smiled sadistically at his brother's helplessness before looking at the mask in his hands. "Bats brother?" He asked, slightly puzzled at his brother's choice of creature. "As I recall you developed a fear of bats while you were only a child, am I right?"

The angry look from Lelouch was all the answer Schneizel needed. He then leaned closer to Lelouch, still holding that maniacal smile. "Or maybe," he began, as if a realization suddenly dawned on him, "that's why you chose this particular guise. Because they were the most terrifying thing to you that you just had to share them with the rest of the world. Isn't that right?"

His rhetorical question was only met with a growl.

Schneizel simply smiled, shrugged, and dropped the mask onto the floor. He then backed away from Lelouch and reached behind his back as if to grab a weapon.

"Die you monster!" A voice shouted from the shadow of the remaining smoke. Jeremiah emerged from the smoke, metallic blade extended from his robotic arm, and aimed directly at Schneizel.

But Schneizel was, surprisingly, faster! He ducked beneath the blade and deliver a kick to Jeremiah's abdomen that was enough to send the cyborg back a few feet.

"The loyal dog coming to save his master," Schneizel said in an amused sadistic manner. "How touching!" The Goblin mask slid over his face.

Jeremiah charged again, seeking to stab the Second Prince of the Empire he once served. However, the Goblin was able to evade, dodge, or block any attack Jeremiah sent his way. And countered excellently!

At one point Jeremiah thrust his blade, only for Goblin to catch the arm, and twist it into his armpit. His right hand then emitted dangerous electrical sparks. Then thrust the hand onto Jeremiah's face, electricity flowed painfully down Jeremiah's metallic and organic body, while he howled in pain from it.

"Jeremiah!" Lelouch yelled out in fear at his servant's pain.

After Goblin finally released Jeremiah, and the pain mostly subsided, Jeremiah weakly attempted to thrust his blade at the Goblin again. Only for him to catch the arm, and throw the cyborg over his body.

Jeremiah landed hard on the floor. Goblin then stomped his foot on Jeremiah's should holding the Metallic arm and pulled, pinning him there with such ease that Schneizel never once possed.

_'What did Schneizel do to himself?!'_ Lelouch thought in a panic. Then, his mind flashed back to the videoes and information that Suzaku gave him about Schneizel's projects, particularly one called, project G. _'Did Schneizel inject himself with-'_

He was pulled out of his mind when he saw said man pulling back his free hand, one was holding Jeremiah's cybernetic hand, and struck Jeremiah's elbow… breaking the mechanical arm off in the process. The Knight of Orange howled in pain as he rolled over and gripped his severed arm with his remaining organic one.

Goblin looked at the severed robotic arm. "Pathetic." He said bluntly as he dropped mechanical limb, then stomped on it to crush it. "Just absolutely pathetic! You couldn't save Lady Marianne, nor stop Zero from surfacing in the first place, and now you can't even protect her children even though you are a cyborg. You're a failure as a knight Jeremiah Gottwald."

He then reached behind him and pulled out an object that resembled a crossguard sword hilt without a blade. However, that fact was soon remedied as he pressed a button and a wild, yet controlled, blade of fire emerged from the hilt.

"Well," Goblin then began, not having a hint of care in his voice, "We could use your parts and as a blueprint to create more useful soldiers fro the army to protect the peace I will build. Of course, they would be worthy of such upgrade, and won't be failures like you!"

He raised the sword high above his head and prepared to bring it down.

**"STOP!"**

The whole room followed the command. They then turned to see that the one who issued it was Nunnally, who was sitting in the best possible way she could with her disabled legs, the Damocles key in her hands. And a look of determination in her eyes that could rival Lelouch's own.

Lelouch's own eyes widened in fear! "Nunnally! Stay back!" Lelouch yelled to his sister as he continued to struggle in vain to free himself from the bonds that were holding him. He then stopped struggling and took a deep breath to calm himself down. If he was gonna get out of these bonds and help Nunnally and Jeremiah, he needed to be calm and not panic. He then extended a pickpocket line and began to manually deactivate the locks on the restraints holding him.

Goblin merely closed down his flame sword and walked over to Nunnally, opening his mask to reveal his face again. "Nunnally, why would you ask me to stop?" Schneizel asked in an innocent, confused tone. "I'm doing this all for you. To create a peaceful world."

"This isn't the world I wanted! Your kind of peace isn't the kind of peace I want!" Nunnally yelled, shaking her head in denial of Schneizel's wish. "I wanted a world where people choose to have peaceful and kind, not where it's all forced." She then took a deep breath bracing herself for her next action. "And I won't let you control or rule this world with fear using this machine!"

Using all her strength, she managed to break the Damocles key in two, along with Schneizel's newly created temper. Lelouch and Jeremiah for their part were impressed with Nunnally's strength of will. But for Schneizel's part, his eyes showed an uncharacteristic level of rage.

"You filthy, little, spoiled brat!" Schneizel roared with such venom in his voice, his sanity completely swiped away. "I was the one who protected you when you were brought back into the royal family! I made you Viceroy to give you the power to make Area 11 safer and kinder according to your will! I saved you from the FLEIJA blast in the Tokyo Settlement! And this is how you repay me!?"

"You only gave me that position so that Lelouch wouldn't fight me!" Nunnally fired back. "You only saved me so that I could be used as a way to keep Lelouch out of your way if he ever tried anything! That's all I ever was to you, a pawn! Used to be sacrificed so you could win your twisted game with Lelouch!"

Schneizel's eyes flashed an uncharacteristic look of both shock and rage. He then clenched his fist in frustration and sighed in disappointment.

"I had hoped you would be able to live in the new peaceful world I would have made Nunnally," Schneizel said with disappointment clear in his tone as he loomed over the disabled princess. "But alas, it looks like that can never be. A pity." He then ignited the flame sword and raise it high above his head. "It seems I'm the only one in our family who will witness the new world era."

Nunnally shut her eyes, not wanting to have a blazing sword be the last thing she sees before her eyes shut without any chance of opening again.

Suddenly, Lelouch, mask, and everything on, golden wings extended, came in and kicked Schneizel away from Nunnally.

**"GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER!"**

The strength of the kick, along with an extra boost from the rocket booster, blasted Schneizel away from Nunnaly and into the wall. The impact was hard enough to leave a crater in the wall.

Lelouch took a deep breath to calm himself down from his moment of rage. After a few quick seconds, he ran over to check on Jeremiah how was slightly struggling to get up.

"Jeremiah?" Batman called, as he helped his most faithful soldier up. "Are you okay? Can you stand?"

Jeremiah struggled to. The pain he felt from having his mechanical arm ripped off was still present in his mind. However, his burning loyalty and unshaken devotion to his liege and his desire to serve him allowed him to push back a majority of the pain he felt. "I'll manage just fine my lord." He struggled to say.

"Good," Lelouch said, though he wasn't quite convinced, he still needed Jeremiah now more than ever. "Because I have a mission for you The most important mission I could ever give anyone, and I believe, no, I know you will succeed!"

Jeremiah's body perked at the sounds of encouragement from his lord. He was about to give him a mission that he believed only he could accomplish. And Jeremiah wasn't going to do anything to let his lord down. "What will you have me do Lord Batman?"

Lelouch looked back over his shoulder to the form of Nunnally, who was staring at him with fear in her eyes. He then looked back toward Jeremiah and took a deep breath. "I need you," Batman began, "To use all your power, strength, and spirit for one purpose." He then pointed over to Nunnally. "Get Nunnally and yourself off of Damocles!"

Jeremiah's eyes widened at the request that his lord just gave him. "B-but my lord, I can't just leave you here alone!" He cried.

"Yes, you can!" Batman fired back, using a tone that meant there was no room for argument. "You can and you will! My final request for you is to make sure that you and Nunnally are safely off the Damocles as soon as you possibly can. Besides," he then looked over to the form of Schneizel that was beginning to stand back up, "I have a score to settle with my dear brother."

Jeremiah was conflicted. His original duty was to guard ad protect Lady Marianne, yet he failed and he shunned himself for that. When he learned that her children were alive, he sought to do all in his power to protect them from harm so he could redeem himself. Now one of those children was ordering him to take the other and leave his side as he fought against an enemy that could kill them. How could he decide?

"If you are worried about keeping loyalty to my mother, then don't," Batman said, venom being hidden in his voice as he mentioned his mother, "I no longer consider myself the son of that woman and that man! So you must save the true child of Empress Marianne vi Britannia."

Jeremiah was still conflicted. How could he do it? He already failed his master so many times by leaving his side. How could he possibly live with himself if he did so again ad his lord died?!

"Jeremiah," Lelouch said softly, taking the Knight of Orange out of his mind, taking off his mask in the process, "I am not ordering you to do it or forcing you. I'm asking you, no, begging you: please, save my sister!"

Jeremiah looked into his lord's pleading violet eyes and saw that he truly meant what he said. Now the loyal cyborg was asking himself a different question: How could he possibly refuse?

"Yes, my lord!" Jeremiah exclaimed as he bowed before Lelouch and moved to pick up Nunnally.

"No, wait!" Nunnally protested as Jeremiah picked her up in his remaining arm, Thankfully she was light so she wasn't that heavy for him. 'Lelouch! Don't go! You don't have to do this! Come with us and leave! You don't have to fight anymore!"

Lelouch turned toward Nunnally and gave her a sad smile and shook his head in denial. Truly he didn't want to fight anymore if he didn't have to, he was honestly tired of all of it. But no, he had to keep fighting! He had to stop Schneizel, or everything he's worked for, both as Zero and Batman, would be lost.

"Your wrong Nunnally," Lelouch told her. "I do have to keep fighting. I have to keep fighting, but not to destroy like I used to, but now to protect. To protect you, Kallen, Suzaku, Cornelia, the Black Knights, the UFN, Britannians, Japanese, and so many others. I have to protect them all, and the world they live in. Because…"

He then turned back to face Schneizel and pulled the mask of the bat over his head. **"I'm Batman!"** He declared, his voice filled with determination greater than Zero ever was. He then looked over his shoulder back to the cyborg. "Jeremiah! Nunnally's safety is now your top priority now! Not sabotaging the Damocles! Never stop running until you find a safe way to escape the Damocles! Understood?!"

"Yes, Lord Batman!" Jeremiah answered as he started sprinting as best he could to the exit with a protesting Nunnally on his shoulder.

"No! Wait! Stop! Put me down! **BIG BROTHER!"** She shouted in vain as Batman threw a Batarang at the door control that caused the door to shut and be locked, meaning no one could get in, or out. And that's exactly what Batman wanted.

He then walked over to where Scneizel had just finished standing fully up after his impact with the wall. "You tried to force your twisted views of peace on this world and its people!" He began as he continued walking over to him. "You manipulate the Black Knights into betraying me, separating me from the woman I love!" His voice then turned deadly as he said his next accusation. "But worst of all, you messed with my sister!"

He then brought his right fist in front of his body and caught it with his other hand as he had his most devious smirk plastered on his face. "So this is gonna hurt," He the cracked his knuckles for intimidation effect, "And I'm gonna enjoy it!"

Schneizel then rose to his full height and was chuckling with insanity as if someone made a really funny joke. "So... haha... so that's what you're so mad about?!" He then laughed more crazily. "Your mad because I lied to Nunnally?! Like your one to talk!"

Batman was about to give a retort when Schneizel brought his hand up as if to stop him from protesting. "I think we're both done talking. Don't you agree?" The silence from Batman was all the answer he needed. "I'll take that as a yes. So how about we finish this!" He declared as his voiced turned deadly.

Batman stopped in the middle of the room and had his white eyes glare dangerously at Schneizel.

"King to king."

Schneizel then pulled out his flame sword and ignited it. He then did a downward sweeping motion with it as he closed his goblin mask.

"Brother to brother."

Batman clenched his fist and got into a fighting stance.

Then, they charged each other!

**"GOBLIN TO BAT!"**

**A/N: And here is chapter 12 folks! Man, this was a lot of work, but I'm nevertheless proud of it. And in regards to Nunnally, yep she's alive and not infected with Joker venom as one or two of you wanted. Sorry about that, but I can't do that to sweet innocent Nunnally, maybe in a different story if I decide to make a different version of this.**

**But man, this was a lot of work but I was glad I could finish it. I hope you guys can enjoy it!**

**Also, in regards to Goblin Schneizel. I'm sorry I didn't do a Batman villain like Joker or Bane or someone like that, but I wanted a villain that could match Batman Beyond in terms of technology and skill, be a dark mirror for him, but I couldn't find someone among Batman Beyond's Rouge's Gallery or normal Batman's Rouges that Schneizel could become that fit the bill, so I used a villain that belongs to the Rogues Gallary of my favorite Marvel superhero, Spider-Man to do the job: Hobgoblin. Note: his appearance is similar to the 2017 Spider-Man tv series version of him, but with Britannia's colors. (Gold and White). Just imagine that the orange portions of the armor are white and the metallic parts are gold. I also don't own Spider-Man or Hobgoblin, those are world or Stan Lee and Marvel. May that brilliant man Rest In Peace.**

**Also, I titled this 'Beneath The Masks They Wear' because I wanted this chapter to show the true colors of the men beneath the masks that both Schneizel and Lelouch wear. Beneath his mask of evil and insanity, Lelouch is a kind individual who only wants what's best for those he loves. while Schneizle, beneath his cold and calculated mask, is a monstrous and insane personality that wants to see the world burn.**

**The next chapter is the climax I've been wanting to write for so long as Lelouch is pushed to his limits as he fights against the one person who's always managed to beat him whose now a whole lot more dangerous!**


	13. Duel of Blood

**A/N: I do not own Code Geass or Batman Beyond, those works belong to Sunrise and Warner Bros. Animation respectively.**

**This is it! The climax chapter I've been waiting to write for a long time! The epic showdown between Batman (Lelouch) and the Goblin (Schneizel). I put a lot of choreography in this fight. **

**Also to address some reviews, the reason I'm doing the Goblin is that I wanted a villain who could match Batman Beyond on a technological and physical level, and none of the Batman Beyond villains came to mind sadly, and I wanted it to be a villain that someone could put on a mask and anyone could call themselves after the persona, much like Batman.**

**This chapter was originally supposed to be two, but I decided to combine them. I hope you all enjoy it!**

"**DANG IT!" **Tamaki yelled as he got hit with a blast from the _Merlin, _rendering his Knightmare useless. "We should be kicking back at a bar, getting hammered because we saved the world! Not trying to survive a thousand laser blasts!"

"_Tamaki! Survive now, complain later!" _Ohgi's voice came over the comm system of the Knightmare he was piloting. With Tamaki out of the way now, the only Knightamres that were engaging the _Merlin_ were either the Knights of The Round (that was on Batman's side) or Knightmare pilot aces like Li. They were able to make small hit and run attacks now that they knew that the _Merlin_ had some weakness, though that had little effect overall on the Knightfortress.

What they needed most of all was a way to deliver a killing blow to the _Merlin_, or at least damage it so one of them could board the Damocles. However, they were severely lacking in enough info to do so.

* * *

"**EUREKA! I FOUND IT!" **Llyod and Rakshata both yelled in excitement. They then blinked and glared at each other again as their heads collided with each other. "**NO, I FOUND IT! NO, I DID! I DID! ME!"**

"_**JUST TELL US WHAT IT IS ALREADY?!" **_Came everyone's annoyed and angry voice at the scientist's argument. The pair glared at each other for a few more long seconds before turning back to the matter at hand.

"After an analysis of the _Merlin_, we were able to find that it's Blaze Luminous was the same as the Damocles, meaning that it's impenetrable." Llyod began explaining.

"_Yeah, we got that! So how exactly does that help us?!" _Gino demanded as he was barely able to dodge another blast in the _Tristan._

"But there's also a flaw in the system," Rakshata continued explaining, "For it to attack, the _Merlin_ must drop it's shielding to fire it's weapons so that it doesn't end up damaging itself."

"_But how does that help us?!"_ Li asked the pair. "_We already know this, but all we've been able to do so far was make hit and run attacks."_

"But that's where this new data comes into play!" Llyod said excitedly. "By using a material made from the same substance of my Master Vibration Swords, we can cut a larger hole in the _Merlin's_ shielding to do some real damage!"

"And even more than that," Rakshata continued excited as well, "If a Knightmare can get into the field and hold the _Merlin_ in place, they can keep the shielding from coming back online completely. Since the shielding is so small that it can only cover the Knightfrotress alone, it can't be deployed with extra mass!"

Cecile began to catch onto what the pair of Knightmare specialist was saying. "So if we can get the _Merlin's_ shielding to drop completely, and then have a Knightmare hold it down to keep it from moving, and then they put their Knightmare on autopilot to hold it in place while they eject-"

* * *

"The _Merlin_ will then be completely open to an attack!" Suzaku finished, finally catching on to what the scientists were suggesting. They now had a plan, but how would they execute it? How would they get close enough to use a Master Vibration Sword to disable the shield without getting blown to bits?

"We'll draw its fire!" Li suddenly shouted, coming up with the Shen Hu, along with Nonnette's frame the _Lancelot Club_. "Gino Weinberg, you come up from behind and disable the shielding when you have a chance! Kururugi, when the _Merlin's_ blaze luminous is down, attack that machine with all you have!"

"You got it!" Gino shouted in acknowledgment as he smirked in anticipation.

"Roger!" Suzaku acknowledged.

Li and Nonnette then charged the _Merlin_, firing a volley of attacks at the Knightfortess to try and bring out a majority of its weapons. With their speed advantage, they were able to dodge the attacks from the _Merlin_ with ease.

However, it seemed that Kanon was now tired of this game they were playing and unleashed the full wrath of the _Merlin_ upon the two. Thankfully, they blast didn't deliver any fatal attacks to the two pilots, but it was enough to make them inoperable.

But that was all Gino needed. Before the _Merlin_ was able to fully bring back up its Blaze Luminous, Gino's MVS was able to get in a hole and cut the shield open. When the shield was large enough, he put his Knightmare inside the opening and gripped the Knightfortess as hard as the _Tristan_ could.

The _Merlin's_ Blaze Luminous dropped as it struggled to break free from the _Tristan's_ grip, but the Knightmare held firm, refusing to let go. Though Gino was struggling to keep it in place.

Gino clenched his teeth together. "It's taking all I have to hold this thing in place! I don't think I can hold it much longer!" Gino growled. "Suzaku, take out the _Merlin_! Now!"

"What?!" Suzaku cried in disbelief. "But Gino, You're still in the way! Get out of there now!"

"No can do Suzaku!" Gino fired back as he struggled to keep the _Tristain_ holding on to the Knightfortress. "The _Tristain_ can barely hold this thing down with me piloting it, I doubt it will hold with me out of the cockpit. Hurry I can't hold it much longer!"

Suzaku was frozen. While he admitted that Gino was annoying and a huge pain in Suzaku's butt most of the time, he still regarded the Knight of Three as an honorable knight, a valuable comrade, and a friend. Could he do it? Could he kill a friend?

The logical answer was most likely yes considering he tried on multiple occasions to kill Lelouch. But he was different now. So could he do it?

"Please Suzaku." Gino's voice came again, this time pleading for the Japanese boy to do it. "Do it for the Britannia that will be born from the victory of this battle." He then chuckled as he said his next sentence. "And besides, I'll go down as a legend with this sacrifice." Suzaku could _feel_ Gino's smile.

Suzaku gave a small smile and sighed. '_Same old Gino.'_ He thought as he shook his head fondly. His face then changed to one of determination as he charged the _Lancelot Albion_ at full speed towards the _Merlin_.

* * *

Kanon's eyes widened in fear as he saw the _Lancelot_ charging toward him, and he still couldn't get the Blaze Luminus charged with that annoying Knight of Three holdings onto him.

'_No! No! I can't fail Schneizel! I can't!'_ Kanon began panicking as the warnings went off and he saw the _Lancelot_ get closer even faster. Realizing he wasn't going to get the blaze luminous back up with the Knight of Three's Knightmare still clinging to him, he aimed the _Merlin's_ blaster toward the traitorous knight's frame. He knew destroying the Knightmare would damage the Merlin, but he would still have enough time to get the blaze luminous back up.

"Any last words you poor excuss for a knight of Britannia?!" Kanon asked, willing to at least give the knight a few seconds to saw his last words.

Gino merely chuckled at the statement. "If I'm a poor excuse for a knight in Schneizel's version of Britannia, then I've never been called anything better!" He declared.

Kanon decided then and there to finally shut the Knight of Three up for good. The _Merlin_ was about to fire, but something beat it to the punch. A beam of red energy streaked between the _Merlin_ and _Tristain_, causing the latter's metallic arms to be blown off and fall to the earth below. Kanon turned and smiled to see the _Mordred_ with its cannons smoking from the blast it just shot.

"Excellent work Anna!" Kanon said. '_At least some knights still know their place!' _He thought to himself. He then began to bring the _Merlin's_ blaze luminous back on when he felt something ram into him. He looked and gasped in horror as he saw that the _Mordred_ had now wrapped itself around the _Merlin_ in the _Tristain's_ place!

"What are you doing Anna?!" Kanon cried in disbelief as he tried to shake the red Knightmare, but it wouldn't budge one bit!

Gino, who was watching the exchange for his part was caught off guard as well at Anna's actions. First, she blew him off the _Merlin_, then she moved to keep it still for Suzaku to still attack it. "What are you doing Anna!?" Gino cried toward his comrade turned enemy turned savior.

"The world needs knights like you, Gino, in it!" Came Anya's reply. "You were right, this Britannia that is in place is too corrupt to serve anymore. We need a new Britannia, one that would benefit all who are in it and outside of it. And it needs knights that know right from wrong! Knights like you!"

Gino was left speechless by Anya's declaration. She claimed that he was more fit to guard this new Britannia more than she was. His screen then showed Anya, and he was even more surprised. For the first time, at least to him, he saw a smile donned on her face. "It's okay Gino, I can handle this part." was the last thing she ever said to him with a bright smile on her face.

* * *

Suzaku's eyes were filled with both rage and the red rings of Geass, and a burning desire to do one thing.

"**LIVE!"**

The Lancelot's blades came down and slashed through both the _Merlin_ and the _Mordred_.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then the _Merlin_ and _Mordred_ both were cut clean in half from the slash of the swords.

Anya, in the _Mordred_, merely smiled. "So this is what it feels like." The red frame then exploded in ablaze.

Kanon for his part was shocked beyond belief at what transpired. "Schneizel," He said weakly, "forgive m-" He didn't get to finish as the _Merlin_ erupted into a brilliant explosion.

"That was for you, Anya!" Suzaku said breathlessly as he hung his head low with tears coming down his face. He was also breathing heavily. He was exhausted. He then heard sounds of cheers and congratulations at his accomplishment. "Are any other Knightmares still operational?" He asked.

"_Negative."_ Came Ohgi's reply. "_All other Knightmares are either destroyed or too damaged to continue."_

"What about Batman or Jeremiah?" Suzaku asked. "Any word from them?"

"_No."_ Came Ohgi's somber reply. "_We lost contact with them after the explosion. We haven't heard anything since. We don't even know if they're alive."_

"Oh, their alive!" Suzaku suddenly said. "You can bet Lelouch won't let himself die that easily. And besides, I won't let him die yet." He then turned to the Damocles, which blaze luminous system was still up. "But I can't do anything as long as that blasted shield is still up!"

And then all of a sudden, the shielding collapsed all around the Damocles. Suzaku blinked.

Did that just happen?

An alert then went off in his cockpit. He turned to see the tracking device in Lelouch's Batsuit went active. Suzaku smiled. The Blaze luminous must've somehow scrambled the tracker, making it nearly impossible to find Lelouch, but now he had a road map to where he was.

He then blasted toward the Damocles. "Hang on Lelouch, Nunnally, Jeremiah. I'm coming!"

* * *

_(Moments earlier)_

Batman just barely dodged a downward swing from the Goblin's flame sword. The fiery blade then ended up hitting the blaze luminous control panel, causing the whole the Damocles shielding to go down. That would also allow anyone to find the tracker he placed on Jeremiah and Nunnally to be picked up by Suzaku or anyone else.

Careless. Especially for Schneizel.

And that caused Batman even more worry.

As he continued to dodge, counter, block, and deliver his own strikes to the Goblin, the more he fought him, the more worried he became. Schneizel was not acting like himself at all. Usually, he would go for practical strategies, and then try to make sure every move he made benefited him alone.

However, he had just destroyed his own weapon's shield system, allowing anyone to enter, leave, or attack the Damocles. And the fact that he didn't even seem to care was disconcerting.

It wasn't just with how he acted either. The way how he moved, the ruthlessness in his attacks, the sheer velocity of his swings, everything about how he moved now was unlike any time before how Schneizel would move. Heck, 'the Goblin' suit and name, that was so uncharacteristic of Schneizel, he was never one for theatrics like Lelouch.

So what changed?

Batman mentally shook his head. He could worry about that later. During a time when he wasn't trying to survive.

He delivered a powerful right cross across the Goblin's face. He tried to strike again with his left, but the Goblin ducked beneath. He then thrust his free hand into his stomach. A powerful shockwave emerged from the gauntlet and sent Batman flying across the room

He slid across the ground rolling slightly before he extended his claws and dug them into the metal floor to slow him down. He succeeds in slowing down with a screeching sound to accompany it, before stopping completely.

He looked up to see the Goblin's blazing blade come down upon his head. He was able to roll out of the way of the blade and deliver a roundhouse kick that sent the Goblin back.

As the Goblin was regaining balance, he reached back and threw a familiar pumpkin-like object to Batman. Instinctively bringing his wings up in defense, he did his best to cover himself when the pumpkin bomb exploded. He was sent flying back across the room and impacted hard with the wall before falling on his stomach.

He groaned as he rose to his hands and knees, feeling a warm liquid drop from his mount and down his chin, knowing it was his blood. He looked up to the smoke t see a line of fire ignite and a white demonic figure walk out from the smoke.

"I must admit," the Goblin said in that same sadistic madding voice he now had, "If there's anything different about you, its that you've certainly gotten more annoying dear brother."

"Yeah I know, I make a habit out of it!" He said smugly. He then shot his arms forward and small gold-colored Batarangs fired from his wrist at the Goblin. However, said Goblin was able to cut them all down with his blazing sword, having such speed and accuracy that he never once held before. He then rushed the Dark Knight.

But Batman was faster! He charged and slid under the sword, the blade of fire barely missing his chin. He then spun around and fired off a line from his wrist that wrapped around  
Goblin's legs and pulled. The Goblin then tripped and fell flat on his metallic masked face, flame sword extinguished.

'_Gotcha!'_

However, the Goblin wasn't done yet. His free hand lit up with electricity as he then gripped the line that was wrapping his feet together. The electrical current traveled up the line and back to its holder.

Batman howled in pain at the electricity danced over his body, slightly burning him. It then stopped when electricity sent him flying back toward the ground. "Ow!" Batman grunted as he struggled to stand back up.

When he was able to get his bearings, Batman saw that the Goblin's sword was almost upon him. Acting quickly, he fired off his rocket jets and sored in the sky, black and gold wings extended, dodging to horizontal slash from the sword.

Batman smirked slightly as he looked down at the Goblin. While Schneizel may have a slightly more advanced suit, and chemicals making his body stronger and more reactive to attacks, Lelouch still had the advantage in air combat.

He then reached into his utility belt and gripped two objects. He then threw them toward Goblin one by one. Goblin attempted to strike the first with his sword, but when he made contact, the freeze blast exploded in a cloud of light blue gas. The flame of the sword was then extinguished. The second object, a standard Batarang, knocked the blade out of his hand.

Batman then charged the Goblin head-on at full speed. He grasped him by the shoulders, slammed him to the ground, rolled over, and then kicked him off with a boost from his rocket thrusters. The blast sent Goblin flying back and he collided with the wall, leaving a human-sized crater in it.

Batman then did a quick scan and saw that the wall was hollow. He then reached back and threw an explosive Batarang next to the Goblin's face. He looked at the device to see that it was now beeping rapidly, he gasped as he darted away from the wall.

The Batarang exploded the wall and allowed a vacuum to be created in the room the two were in. Acting quickly, Batman activated the magnetized setting in his boots and held firm in the room as everything else was sucked out. Goblin wasn't so lucky. By the time he grabbed his flame sword, it was too late to grab anything else and he was then sucked out of the room to the sky outside.

Batman then moved out of the room that he and Schneizel found themselves in after they fought out of the castle. He made his out and closed the door behind him, causing the vacuum to cease. Batman slid down the wall, took his mask off, and began taking deep breaths to try and calm himself down.

After a moment of heavy breathing and catching his breath he gave a small chuckle at his victory against Schneizel. "That takes care of that," Lelouch said to himself as he rose back on his feet. "Now I need to find Nunnally and Jeremiah, find a way to destroy this weapon, and get off this thing!"

He then pulled his mask over his face, then fired his thrusters and extended his wings, and took off to find his sister and loyal subordinate, and a way to finally destroy this terrible machine.

* * *

As he dangled on the outside of the Damocles, the superweapon he created to bring peace to this chaotic world, flame sword jammed into the side of the fortress, Schneizel growled with such uncharacteristic contempt.

"Lelouch!" He spat, his voice filled with such venom. The name of the one who would never accept his world and was spreading that contagion onto others.

He then brought up his free hand to the forearm of the hand that was holding his sword. He tapped a couple of buttons. The small screen on the gauntlet then read: 'position acquired, glider approaching.'

* * *

Batman sprinted down another random hallway in an attempt to find Nunnally and Jeremiah. Or a self-destruct mechanism for the Damocles. The tracker he was using wasn't able to function in the Damocles, maybe some localized jamming system. So that just left him with searching the large machine on foot, which was taking too long.

But was very peculiar about this whole thing, was that he hasn't encountered a single person aboard the Damocles since his fight with Schneizel. No guards, no scientist, no researchers, no one.

Which was causing Lelouch to become more uncomfortable by the minute.

Did Schneizel order them to evacuate? He was never one to place a priority on lives unless they were somehow gonna help him greatly in the future. So where were they?

He continued sprinting and stopped when he made it to a large clearing where there were multiple pathways one could take with multiple different floors to choose from. And the area was large enough that he could fire his thrusters and fly up to the different levels.

He was about to begin a process of elimination when he heard a groan coming from somewhere above.

Activating his detective vision, he found the groan was coming up from a level several stories above him. He then took off and flew toward an opening that was in the shape of a broken window. He then touched down in what appears to be a lab.

Or what was left of it.

Shelves were knocked over, chemicals were spilled all over the floor, glass was prominent in areas on the floor, equipment was either smashed or turned over. Batman walked through the lab slowly, having detective vision on, looking for signs of life. He came on a platform that appeared to be a gas chamber and found two bodies at the base of a vertical gurney. A man and a woman dressed in laboratory coats

He knelt and check their pulses. They're dead. Lelouch frowned as he examined the bodies further. Specifically their necks. '_Strange.' _He thought in his mind as he continued examining them.. '_These two weren't killed with excessive head strikes, blood loss, or bullet wounds. It seems they were strangled. By the handprint patterns on their necks, it seemed to be with one hand. No normal human could exert the force to do such a thing.'_

Batman sighed as he rose. Then something clicked in his mind. Diethard mentions something about Schneizel going down to a lab when he interrogated the reporter. This must've been the lab. But why did Schneizel destroy it?

He then heard the groan again. He turned to the source and saw a pair of legs pinned under a couple of shelves. Batman moved quickly and lifted the shelves off the person. When he finished, he found a middle-aged man wearing a lab coat. He, unlike the last two he saw, was still alive and seemed to take a huge blow to the head, blood was falling down the side of it.

Batman then roughly 'helped' him up and pinned him against a consul. "Who are you?" He asked.

The scientist merely groaned as his mind was struggling to get a bearing on what was happening. "Wh-What?" He asked, groggily.

"I asked: who are you?!" Batman demanded again, slamming the consul next to him in an attempt to wake him up.

The action worked as his eyes became alert and he realized who he was talking to. He stuttered as he answered Batman's previous question. "Do-Doctor… Doctor Derik Powers!" His tone was that of a terrified person, but strangely, he wasn't terrified of Batman, which was a first.

But if he wasn't afraid of him, then what was he afraid of?

"What happened here?!" Batman decided to ask instead.

"He-He wouldn't listen to me. To us!" Dr. Powers stuttered.

"Who?!"

"We-We warned him of the potential dangers of taking the serum in its base form! But he wouldn't listen to us!"

"Who wouldn't listen?! Dangers of what serum?!" Batman asked, getting tired of these elusive answers.

"He said he would kill us if we didn't do as he said and administer the serum! But when we did," His voice then broke down and he cried slightly, "He-he killed everyone anyway!"

Batman was getting tired of this elusive game of 'guess who?' and decided to take a more drastic route. He pulled Dr. Powers closer to his face, white eyes narrowed at the Doctor and had his claws extended out close to the Doctor's face almost touching it. "Name. **NOW!"**

The action was enough to get Powers to focus enough to utter one word.

"Schneizel."

Batman's white eyes widened at hearing the name of his half-brother. He took a quick look around to see the lab again and the state it was in. How-no Why-would Schneizel do something like this?

His mind then went back to when he saw Schneizel in the castle at the top of the Damocles and when they were fighting. His eyes, his tone, his voice, his smile, his movements, his fighting style, etc. everything about him seemed to be different. Crazier and madding than before. Insanity even. A level of insanity he'd never seen in anyone before, not even Mao, and certainly never expected to see in his cold, calm, and calculating older brother. Not at all like the Schneizel he knew before he became Batman.

He then narrowed his eyes back toward Dr. Powers. "What did he do?!" Batman demanded.

"He-uh… He inhaled nebulous gases of the G-serum that we were developing." Powers answered.

"What does it do?!" Batman asked.

"The G-serum was originally intended to give the subject enhanced strength, agility, reflexes, and intelligence." Dr. Powers began explaining. "Prince Schneizel wanted to have it made to have his soldiers be strong enough to 'protect the new peaceful world' or something."

"What do you mean it 'was originally intended for super soldiers'? What happened?!" Batman asked, not understanding what was going on here.

"We found out later in testing that the combination of the chemicals and drugs used to enhance the subjects caused serious damage to their psyche." Dr. Powers answered. "It drove the subjects insane! We tried finding a way to stop or suppress the effects on their psyche, but the only solution we found was to dilute the chemicals and drug potency used. We created later serums that had different levels of each of the chemicals and drugs we used, but we didn't find any that could stop the damage to the psyche. However, that caused most of the subjects to become weaker and Prince Schneizel wouldn't have it."

Lelouch was now disgusted at Schneizel's utter lack to care for others in pursuit of his goals. It reminded Lelouch of how he used to be when he cared little for other lives. And that sickened him. "What version of the serum does Schneizel have? Which version did he take?!"

"The first one!" Powers answered. "He took the first serum we ever created. Codename G-00. That one had the most amounts of chemicals induced in it, the greatest enhancement on the subject, and had the worst and immediate effect on the psyche of the subject!"

"How long does it last for?!" Batman asked the worry was starting to enter his voice. Beginning to believe that Scneizel might not have been defeated as he hoped in their fight. "How long until the effects of the serum run dry?"

"I don't know!" Powers answered. "We never did anymore test on the G-00 after that one subject. And already the subject had had the serum still active for at least a day before we had to kill him! Schneizel knew all this, but he still did it!"

Batman growled. If he couldn't wait this fight out, then he would have to beat Schneizel head-on. But before he left the 'good' doctor, he had a couple more questions to ask. "Why?!"

"Wh-What?!" Powers asked, not understanding the vague question.

"Why did Schneizel do this to himself?!" Batman asked as the fury in his voice rose higher. "Schnezile would never do something like this if he knew the risks involved in taking the serum. So why did he do this?! Tell me! **WHY?!"**

"Because of you," Powers answered, causing Batman's eyes to go wide in shock.

"What?" Batman asked, his voice now softer, and caught off guard.

"Schneizel knew he couldn't beat you the way he was before," Powers explained, "He knew that he had to change as well, to be able to defeat you. So he took the only solution he knew there was and injected himself with it to be able to destroy you!"

As the words entered his mind, Batman's heart stopped completely. Schneizel did all this: risk his life, risk his very _sanity_, all to destroy him?

'_This is all my fault.'_ Batman said in his mind as it dawned on him. '_This is all my fault! I unleashed this monster upon the world.'_

In his quest to become something new and destroy the monster inside him, did he instead unintentionally create an even worse monster than he once was? And then unleash it upon the whole world? Schneizel was the worst foe he ever faced as Zero and Lelouch. Now he made the worst enemy he ever faced insane, stronger, faster, and worst of all, unpredictable.

He then shook his head. No! He couldn't think such thoughts! Not now! Not when he still had a job to do. He then looked back to the Doctor and asked his final question. "How do I destroy the Damocles?" He demanded, remembering another reason why he questioned the scientist.

Dr. Powers seemed to almost be glad that a question other than about Schneizel or the G-serum was asked. "There's a self destruct system at the base of the Damocles, near the FLEIJA cannon." He told Batman. "But you'll need a five-digit code to activate it."

"Then you don't mind sharing it with me, do you?" Batman asked sarcastically.

"No! No problem at all! Haha!" He gave a nervous laugh and smile. He then told him the code.

Batman smiled. He was about to thank him when the sound of metal meeting with the surface reached his ears. He turned to see the object had rolled to a stop. His eyes then widened when he saw the metal object resemble that of a pumpkin.

Acting quickly, Batman pushed Powers away and moved to find his form of cover behind a nearby consul that was somehow still intact.

**BOOM**

Again, he reminded himself that he really should thank the upgrades that Llyod and Rakshata put into the suit. While the explosion itself didn't do so much harm to him, the force behind it was able to cause some wear and tear in the suit. Thankfully he was still intact.

Mostly.

Through the ringing in his ears, he was able to faintly hear the sound of an object hovering, almost like that of a jet engine. '_Great! Now Schneizel has a jet that he can sick on me! Just my luck!'_ Lelouch thought sarcastically.

After the ringing began to clear in his ears, he then realized that the sound was too soft to be that of a jet engine. Peaking out of his form of cover, he saw that the lab was now in an even more ruined shape than when he first got in here. Most of the room was on fire, due to probably some of the chemicals being flammable. The bodies of the dead scientist were burning, their foul stench reminded Lelouch of walking through the filed of dead bodies when he was a boy.

And there, at the end of the room, standing, or rather hovering on a small glider with a goblin face on the front center of it, untouched by the explosion he just unleashed was Schneizel, his mask opened so you could see his crazed face, which somehow got even more maddening. And in his hand was Dr. Powers, specifically his neck.

"You are a naughty, naughty boy Powers," Schneizel said in a tone that almost sounded like a parent scolding a child. "You know that telling secrets is not good. Not. Good. At. All!" It was very disturbing to hear.

Powers meanwhile, was struggling to free himself from the grip of the Prince turned madman. He began whimpering like a scared little child. Schneizel then shushed him. "Oh don't worry little Powers, it will be over before you know it." He cooed the man with a sadistic smile on his face. Again, very disturbing. "So I'm afraid I'm gonna have to fire you

His eyes then turned dangerous. Then a blade of fire emerged out of the Doctor's body and Lelouch saw that Schneizel set him on fire with his flame sword. Powers' eyes rolled back as he then stopped struggling in vain to free himself. His body then landed with a Thump on the ground of the lab.

Lelouch gazed at the man's dead body, then his eyes slowly looked up to see the monster that had killed both him and the other people in this room. The monster he undoubtedly created. He then grimaced.

Earlier he said in his mind that he had the advantage due to having the ability to fly, but now it seems that fact was now outdated as he stared at both the Goblin and the glider he was riding. '_Me and my big mind.'_ Lelouch complained to himself.

Bracing himself, he then fired his thrusters and extended his black-and-gold wings as he charged the Goblin head-on!

* * *

The hanger doors came crashing down as the _Lancelot Albion_ entered the Damocles. Any remaining Knightmares on the fortress that hadn't launched yet aimed their rifles at the ninth generation frame.

They didn't even stand a chance.

The _Lancelot_ was able to rip through them like they were nothing, easily slicing up the Knightmares with its MVS and Suzaku's quick reflexes. It was over in a matter of seconds.

"Now that that's taken care of, let's see where you are Lelouch," Suzaku said to himself as he switched on the tracker to find him in this maze of a flying fortress. While the Damocles did give off a signal that would jam most scanners on the inside, the modifications that Lloyd and Cecile made to the _Lancelot Albion, _it was able to overcome the jamming mostly and at least get a hint on where he was.

And hopefully with Jeremiah and Nunnally with him.

After a few moments of scanning, the signal beeped with confirmation of location. It showed that they were at least a few floors above him. "There you are!" Suzaku said as he then flew straight through the metal ceiling and up to the floor where they were.

Jeremiah was struggling.

The pain that the Goblin inflicted upon him was more than he let show. And much more than he could take at the moment.

But that didn't matter now. What did matter was making sure he followed through on his lord's (possibly) last request and get Lady Nunnally somewhere safe. And only Jeremiah's burning loyalty and determination not to fail again was the only thing that kept him going. That and words of encouragement of Princess Nunnally.

So far he was lucky. He had not run into any soldiers, or personnel in his time since he and mistress Nunnally left the castle. Which was strange to him. Why would Prince Schneizel, or whatever that thing was in his body, attempt to stop them? What was going through that man's head? Could they have evacuated?

But if that was the case, then there was a big problem. If they had all evacuated, then that means that almost any form of transportation was now gone. Meaning that there was no way for him and lady Nunnally to escape. He would fail. He would die in failure to fulfill his lord's last wish.

However, his train of depressing thoughts ceased when there was a loud crash that ended up blasting up through the floor in front of them. Looking up in shock at the rising object and moving instinctively to protect Lady Nunnally, he glared at whatever was gonna stand in the way of his duty to save the Princess that he swore to protect!

When the smoke cleared, he gasped in shock and smiled when the source of the crash was a familiar white and gold Knightmare. "Sir Kururugi!" Jeremiah exclaimed in joy.

Nunnally gasped in shock as she looked from the wounded cyborg carrying her, to the battered large white Knightmare in front of them. "Suzaku?!"

When he heard his name being called by a voice that wasn't Jeremiah, he looked to see Nunnally was looking at him… with her eyes opened?!

"Nunnally?! You can see?!" Suzaku yelped in great shock that quickly turned to joy. "How is this possible?!"

Nunnally gestured to the man carrying her and smiled sweetly. "This man here is an angel!" She simply answered with joy. "He was able to bring my sight back!"

The praise he got from the daughter of the woman he admired was too much for him as he cried tears of joy at her praise. "As I said before, you are the angel." Jeremiah countered. "I am merely the one who wishes to serve you and protect you the best I can."

Suzaku merely smiled at the scene before him. But then he frowned when he noticed an important detail. Someone was missing.

"Where's Lelocuh?!" Suzaku asked.

**BOOM**

An explosion sounded high above them. Looking up, they emerge from the smoke, as if on cue, were two individuals. One was a familiar figure dressed as a bat with a gold symbol and wings, the other was a newcomer that resembled that of a Goblin riding a glider, holding the former by the neck in his left hand and a flame sword in the right.

The Goblin attempted to bring the sword down upon other's head, but the Bat was able to knock the blade away and deliver his series of strikes that force the Goblin to release him. He began freefalling in the air before he activated his thrusters and extended his black-and-gold wings.

When he was a fair distance away, he threw multiple Batarangs at the Goblin, but he was able to slash them apart with his blazing blade and throw his sharp objects at the bat. Batman did his best to dodge, but the razor bats* were able to track him and slice through parts of his suit.

Deciding to change tactics, Batman reached into his belt and threw out a spherical object. The Goblin moved to slash the object in half, but when he made contact, it exploded in a cloud of smoke. Momentarily blind, the Goblin swung fiercely around with his arms and flame sword, attempting to try and clear the smoke from his field of vision. When the smoke finally cleared, he found that his quarry had vanished.

He was then saddened kicked in the back by an invisible force that knocked him off his glider and he fell down the large shaft they were in. his glider, sensing he was falling, chased after him.

The invisible force that kicked him reveal to be Batman, having deactivated the cloaking system in his suit. He scowled as he looked at the glider descending the shaft after it's master. He knew he wasn't gonna get rid of Schneizel that easy, not by a long shot. All this was gonna give him was a brief moment of reprieve.

"Lelouch!" a new voiced called. He looked down and gasped when he saw the Lancelot there below him, along with its pilot Suzaku. And standing there with him, looking up at Lelouch, was Nunnally and Jeremiah. He then flew down towards the trio that just witnessed his battle, taking off his mask as he did so.

"What are you doing here Suzaku?!" He asked, slightly annoyed at the Japanese teen as he landed down on the metal surface where they stand on. He then glanced over to Jeremiah. "And I told you to get Nunnally and yourself off the Damocles. Why haven't you gotten off yet?!"

"Yeah, nice to see you too!" Suzaku responded with sarcasm. '_Same old Lelouch.' _He thought fondly in his head.

"Forgive me, my lord." Jeremiah began apologetically. "I am sorry that I haven't assured Princess Nunnally's safety yet. We couldn't find any Knightmares to escape. I will take whatever punishment you want to give me!"

"Yeah~," Suzaku said nervously rubbing the back of his head, as everyone turned to look at him questioningly. "I think that might've been me."

"_Might_?" Lelouch asked, slightly irked.

"Okay, that was me," Suzaku admitted with a nervous smile.

Lelouch let out a long sigh and muttered something about the son of a perverse rebellious woman under his breath before he finally said. "Just when I finally think you're growing a brain, you remind me that your still a hopeless idiot!"

"Big brother, I think we all know who the real idiot here is," Nunnally said with such a sweet and innocent tone with a mischievous smile. Everyone merely laughed.

But then Jeremiah went back to looking down in shame. 'I will still accept any punishment you give me Lord Batman."

Lelouch rolled his eyes and sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Sometimes Jeremiah's extreme loyalty was exhausting. "It's fine Jeremiah, I'm not mad." He assures the loyal knight. "I'm just shocked to see you, that's all." He then turned to face Suzaku. "But what are you doing here?"

Suzaku simply shrugged. "Well when that explosion went off, we lost all contact with you, so we all feared the worst," Suzaku explained to his friend. "So when I destroyed the Merlin and the Damocles blaze luminous went down, I got a fix on the tracker in your suit and went to find you. But I ended up finding them instead." He gestured to Nunnally and Jeremiah.

Lelouch internally winced at the first part, that he hadn't at least let Suzaku and the others know he was alright. But in his defense, he was fighting for his life against a psychopath with a super-soldier serum!

He then moved to where Jeremiah was and gripped a small object on the cyborg's left shoulder. He showed it to Suzaku. It was a small bat-shaped object with a blinking red light. "I placed the tracker on Jeremiah so that if anyone did get into the Damocles, they would make sure to get them first."

Suzaku shook his head. Classic Lelouch, always makes sure Nunnally is the one first helped before himself. Now he took the time to ask another question. "Who in the world was that you were fighting just now?"

"Schneizel," Lelouch answered simply. Though Suzaku found that hard to believe, which was evident by his open mouth and dumbfound look. Lelouch moved his hand up before he could ask any more questions and simply said, "Long story."

Suzaku merely just decided to take it for what it's worth and shrugged. "Anyway, onto another more positive topic," He began, changing the topic, "I have a fully functional Knightmare that can carry all of us back to the Ikaruga. What do you all say we get outa here?"

He received nods of agreement from Nunnally and Jeremiah and began making his way back to the _Lancelot_, but Lelouch responded with, "I'm not leaving just yet."

Suzaku stopped, turned, and held a face of shock at his friend's response, Jeremiah and Nunnally mirrored his expression. "What?!"

"I have to stop Schneizel and destroy the Damocles before it gets up to 300 kilometers." Lelouch simply told them.

"Lelouch," Suzkau began, pleading with his friend, "The Ikaruga has enough firepower to take down the Damocles. And Schneizel will just go down with it. You don't have to stay."

"Yes, I do Suzaku!" Lelouch declared, the firmness in his tone meant he was not wavering from his decision. "Yes, the Ikaruga has enough firepower to bring the Damocles down, but it won't do it alone in time to stop it before it reaches 300 kilometers. I have to find some way to take it down from the inside or buy more time for the Ikaruga to destroy it. Plus I know Schneizel won't go down with his machine, he'll just escape and make more of these weapons. No, I have to stop him here and now."

"Then I'll help you," Suzaku said as he began walking to Lelouch.

"No!" Lelouch shouted, stopping Suzaku in his tracks. "Your top priority is to get Jeremiah and Nunnally off the Damocles and somewhere as far away from here as possible. Besides…" Lelouch took a look back to where Schneizel fell, "I have some payback I need to give to Schneizel!"

As if on cue, the Goblin rose from where he fell on his glider, a menacing look in his mask, flame sword ignited. He then reached into his pocket and threw a pumpkin bomb toward the group. Acting quickly, Lelouch pulled out a Batarang and threw it toward the bomb. They two objects collided midway and exploded.

"**GET THEM OUT OF HERE!" **Lelouch shouted toward Suzaku as he pulled his mask over his head and flew off to meet Schneizel.

"But-"

"**GO!"**

Following his lord's commands, Jeremiah hoisted Nunnally up higher on him to get a better grip and moved toward the _Lancelot_, much against her will. "Let's go Sir Kururgi!" He called at the Japanese knight.

He received no response.

He looked back to see Suzaku staring at his best friend who was in a death battle with the only man he could never beat that turned into a monster.

"Suzaku!" Jeremiah called again, which was enough to get him back to reality. He turned back to face the Knight of Orange. "We have to. For her sake." He gestured t the protesting princess in his arms. "And for his as well."

Suzaku stood there still for a brief moment, clenching his fist in frustration, before finally releasing them in a defeated sigh. "Your right." He said in a tone that sounded as if he lost a loved one. He then moved to enter the cockpit of the _Lancelot Albion_ and began the startup sequence. After the procedure was complete, he maneuvered the machine's hand to gently pick up the two.

"Suzaku! No! Wait!" Nunnally cried, no begged, as she was lifted in the _Lancelot's_ hands against her will. "We can't leave Lelouch! He's my brother! Suzaku, please!"

Suzaku was tempted to go along with that request, but he resisted. He needed to make sure Nunnally was safe, then he could come back and get Lelouch. He took one last look at the duel between brothers. Then, he blasted a hole in the Damocles wall, activated the green energy wings, and flew off to the Ikaruga.

"I'm sorry Nunnally!" He told the princess through the Knightmare's speakers sincerely. "But Lelouch told me to put your safety above all other priorities! And that's exactly what I'm going to do!" '_Even though Kallen's most likely going to kill me when I get back for leaving Lelouch.'_

As he flew away from the flying fortress, he stopped, then took one last look at the Damocles, feeling that last pull of temptation to go back and rescue Lelouch. But after a moment of hesitation, he turned the _Lancelot_ back around and blasted off towards the Ikaruga.

When he did, the tears had begun to fall from his face down onto his Knightmare's control consul. He prayed to some form of the higher power that he didn't just leave abandon Lelouch, his best friend, to certain death.

* * *

"That was an unwise move, dear brother!" Goblin criticized as he threw more pumpkin bombs, which Batman was able to evade, just barely though, as they flew through the metallic jungle of the Damocles. Which was difficult in Lelouch's case. While he did memorize ever part of whatever layout they had of the Damocles, he was still unfamiliar with this fortress, while Schneizel, despite his crazed state of mind, knew this fortress-like the back of his hand. They were on his turf, and Lelouch was the prey to his predator.

"How so?!" Batman called back as turned to face him and threw an explosive Batarang. But Goblin was able to avoid the spinning projectile using his glider. The Goblin then began throwing his own explosives at the Dark Knight. Batman managed to dodge the pumpkin bombs, but the Goblin merely let out an insane laugh as he continued the pumpkin bombardment on the Dark Knight.

Batman gritted his teeth as he began to feel overwhelmed by the explosives. Acting desperately, Batman did a nose dive which Goblin followed close behind. Nearly at the bottom, Batman then pulled up, reached into his belt, and threw a circular object at the Goblin.

The Goblin merely tried to slice the object with his flame sword, however, the object exploded in a cloud of smoke that covered his whole body. After a moment the smoke disappeared, along with any sign of the Batman.

"Is this the best you got in your bags of tricks dear brother? Pulling the same tricks again?" the Goblin asked the empty room, which he just knew wasn't empty. "A smokescreen and cloaking tech?" He then shifted through multiple types of scans in his mask: inferred, microwave, sound, etc. however they all came up with nothing surprisingly.

"Hmm." Goblin hummed as he continued looking around the room. "Impressive. An internal environmental regulation system that keeps your body the same temperature of the surrounding area, and a sound dampening system that masks you as quietly as the silence. Nice!"

A grim smile then formed on Schneizel's lips. "Unless you know exactly how to break it." He said.

Suddenly, the Goblin let out a deafening sonic scream and shockwave that enveloped the entire room. After a short moment, the cloaking device on Batman's suit short-circuited and revealed the familiar figure covering his ears with an expression of pain in them.

"Found you!" The Goblin declared as he flew over to him.

By the time Batman recovered, the Goblin had grabbed him by the face and slammed the back of his head into the wall that left a crack in it. The impact left Batman's mask torn, the area around his mouth and left eye were torn off, revealing those parts of his face as he glared at Schneizel.

'You've grown soft Lelouch." The Goblin declared as his mask opened up revealing Schneizel's maniacal smile. He then began applying pressure to crush the boy's skull. "Sending your best piece away to save it and your queen, leaving the king alone to face the opposing side."

Lelouch's eyes narrowed at that comment and his gaze was that of a roaring fire. "You despicable!" He spat the best he could in the situation he was in. He then maneuvered out of the hold and slammed the Goblin's face into the same wall. "If I'm no saint, then how dare you view this battle, this fight, this massacre as another chess match!? Do the lives of your subordinates, your citizens, truly mean so little to you?!"

Goblin responded with grabbing Batman at the chest and sending a shock to his body through his hand. Batman then fell of the glider but was able to extend his wings and activate the thrusters in his boots. He then flew up and away from the Goblin while the later pursed the former after freeing himself from the wall.

"Like you have room to talk Lelouch?!" Goblin declared as he threw more razor bats at Batman who tried to dodge as best he could, but he was still cut by a couple of blades at his left ankle and into his right shoulder. "How many people have you killed, manipulated, Geassed in your quest to destroy Britannia? Huh! How many had to suffer for you to achieve your goals?"

Taking a risky action, Batman lifted his boots in front of him and fired at full power. He then ended up charging the Goblin head-on. Goblin saw him coming, of course, so he lifted his glider to fly over him instead, however, that was exactly what Batman was counting on! Shooting out his arms and extending his claws, he grabbed one of the wings of the glider and flipped up to be on an equal eye level with the Goblin, activating his magnetic boots to keep on the glider.

"Your right!" He declared as he and the Goblin traded blows with each other. "I've killed, used, and thrown away more people than I dare to count! But now I'm trying to make up for all those mistakes. I've also seen _it_ with my own eyes. People rising against tyranny and oppression, giving all they have to see themselves one-day be free of the evil that plagues their lives!"

He went to throw a punch but the Goblin dodge and threw him down on the base of the Glider with the Goblin on top of him, choking his neck. His free hand the lit up with lightning and was about to bring it down, only for Batman to catch the hand with his free hand, the other was trying to free his neck from Goblin's grasp.

"You truly are a fool, Lelouch!" Schneizle declared as he continued to bring the electrical hand closer to his brother's face. "To think that my subordinates, citizens, even my own family meant anything to me at all!" The sparks were getting closer now. "All of those troops, all of those knights, all of my blood, were only tools to be used! That's all the purpose that people have. To be further used by people like us to accomplish our goals!"

"You're wrong!" Batman declared as he struggled to free himself from the Goblin's grip.

"Am I Lelouch?!" Goblin asked as his mask opened to reveal his face, which only seemed to be getting more maddening the more Lelouch saw it. "You've admitted that you've lied and manipulated people and thrown them away. Both with your words and your Geass. You made those people follow you to further your own selfish goals!"

"I never used Geass to force anyone to follow me! If I did, that would make me exactly like our father, and I _refuse_ to become anything like him!" Batman declared. He then moved his hand away from the one holding the Goblins hand which was grabbing his neck and pressed a button on his belt.

Schneizel howelled in pain as the electricity coursed through his body from the batsuit. Batman took advantage of this moment, he rolls them over with him now on top of Schneizel's form. He gripped his neck with his left hand and then proceeded to punch him in the face repetitively with his other hand. All while declaring between blows "If people… follow me… it's because… they chose to!"

His next strike was caught in Schneizel's hand as the mask went back over his face. "'Because they choose to'?" Schneizel asked sarcastically. He then let out a psychotic laugh as if someone told the funniest joke. He then used his free hand to send a shockwave blast to Lelouch's stomach that sent him flying off the glider.

Thankfully Batman was able to get his jet boots and wings extended before he hit the hard metal ground. "That's preposterous Lelouch!" Goblin declared as he resumed the pursuit of the bat! "People like them need someone like us to control them! To make them feel purpose! Because they are completely inadequate to rule for themselves!"

Lelouch had heard enough!

Reaching into his utility belt, he pulled out his last explosive Batarang and threw it at the Goblin's glider! At the same time, however, the Goblin himself pulled out a pumpkin bomb and threw it toward the Dark Knight.

The bomb exploded near Batman's feet! Thanks to the enhancements made by the pair of mad scientists, his legs weren't burned or blown off, but there was damage to the rocket boosters in his boots, and sen him falling to the ground. At the same time, the Batarang made contact with the glider and blew the craft apart and sent the Goblin spiraling out of control.

Both costumed figures landed hard on the floor below them, less so in Lelouch's case thanks to his wings, but it still hurt! When Batman lifted his head, he saw that he was in the place he originally wanted to go before the Goblin attacked him the second time. The FLEIJA firing center.

As he began to stand up, he felt a blinding pain shoot through his right leg as he went back to the ground. Batman gave an annoyed growl as he got a good look at the leg now. '_It's dislocated!' _Lelouch thought before sighing in annoyance. '_This is going to hurt!'_

And it did.

As he relocated his leg, he screamed as the pain shot through him as the leg was put back in its proper place. After waiting for a moment, the pain mostly subsided and Lelouch stood up, a little shakily though. '_Still hurts! But it'll do for now. At least I can stand.'_ Lelouch thought.

He then turned around to the burning wreckage of the Goblin's glider when he heard a pained yell that didn't belong to him. And gasped.

It seemed that the Goblin's left shoulder was also dislocated from the fall, even more so that Batman's leg. It looks like he was recovering by relocating it himself, although it didn't seem that much better off than it was before.

But that wasn't what made Lelouch gasp.

What did, was his face. Not the face of the Goblin mask that Schneizel was wearing, that had fallen off when he crashed. But the face of the man beneath the mask, beneath _all _the masks he wore over his life. Beneath the Prime Minister, the Second Prince, brother, strategists, manipulator, goblin, etc.

His mouth was curved upward in an uncharacteristic smile that was never something that Schneizel would never wear on his face, and was rarely, if not never, ever seen on some of the most insane psychopaths. It was long, wide, and held a dark amused, sadistic, psychotic, and so many other dark emotions in it.

But his eyes.

They say the eyes are the window to the soul of a person. But Schneizel always kept his window shut, figuratively, for all to see, even Lelouch couldn't pierce his defenses. But now, that window was wide open for all to see into, and for the first time since Lelouch knew Schneizel, he saw the true Schneizel el Britannia.

And he was terrified of him.

What he saw wasn't the soul of a man, a leader, a manipulator, a prince, neither that of a psychopath. What he saw was a creature that desired nothing less than the destruction of all life it ever encountered. Such conviction and inhumane desire Lelouch had never associated with Schneizel. He wondered if, beneath the masks that he always wore, that this was Schneizel's true self or a result of the G-serum he took, or maybe it was both.

Lelouch then shook his head. Regardless if this was the true face of his brother or the result of a super drug, Lelouch knew that only one thing was certain: He had to stop Schneizel! Even if it was the last thing he'd ever do!

So with that in mind, he raised his clenched fists and charged the madman!

* * *

When the _Lancelot Albion _touched down on the deck of the Ikaruga, Kallen had expected to see the exiled prince turned masked revolutionary, turned caped (without the actual cape) crusader to be among the ones that returned.

Instead, however, the _Lancelot_ opened its hands and cockpit to reveal the former prince's best friend/worst enemy, his formally blind but still crippled sister, and his loyal knight of Orange among those that returned from the Damocles.

Suzaku leaped down from the cockpit and moved to helped Jeremiah carry Nunnally across the deck. The knight of orange for his part was banged up pretty bad, even for a cyborg, but was still surprisingly able to carry on. Maybe his loyalty to Lelouch and Nunnally kept him going.

Kalen herself was surprised by the beauty of Nunnally's now opened eyes. But then she quickly chalked it up to being related to Lelouch. Or maybe Lelouch got the eyes from Nunnally?

Cornelia then came running across the deck with a medical crew in tow. They passed Kallen and made a beeline for the trio of the Japanese, crippled princess, and cyborg.

"Nunnally!" She yelped in excitement as she came up to her sister. When she moved to help carry her in Jeremiah's place, the knight of orange the collapsed on the deck, the pain and exhaustion that he was fighting off finally overtaking him. The medics were quick to pick the cyborg up and place him on the gurney.

"Cornelia?" Nunnally question as she looked over the half-sister she hasn't seen in nearly a decade. "Is it you?"

"It's me, Nunnally! It's me! And it's you!" She stated as she cried tears of joy at seeing the sister she thought perished over half a year ago. And seeing that her eyes are opened. "And you can see? How is this possible?!"

Nunnally then pointed over to Jeremiah as he was loaded on the gurney and raced off to the Ikaruga's medical section. "That man over there did it," Nunnally told her big sister. 'He and big brother said that he freed me from our father's curse. What did they mean by that Cornelia?"

"I'll tell you about it later Nunnally. I promise." She told her sister. She then looked to see the medical crew with Jeremiah disappear into the Ikaruga. "I will make sure that man receives the highest honor for helping you, Nunnally." Cornelia then turned to face Suzaku. "As will you Kururugi."

Suzaku merely shook his head. "I don't want an award for rescuing someone like Nunnally. That itself is the reward." He declared as he turned back to Nunnally and smiled.

"Hi, Nunnally." Kallen finally spoke as she walked up to the former blind girl. "It's me, Kallen."

"Kallen?" Nunnally gasped as she gave the redhead a once over now that she could see her. After a minute of doing so, she smiled warmly as she declared with an innocent tone, "Wow! I knew you had to be beautiful to catch Lelouch's eye, but you're gorgeous! No wonder Lelouch fell in love with you!"

Kallen hen blushed and turned into a stuttering mess. She never was all that comfortable with people commenting on her beauty, no matter how frequent it was. But the fact that Nunnally approved of her was a big boost for when she and Lelouch would be together when this was all over.

Speaking of Lelouch.

Kallen then turned to face Suzaku. "Where's Lelouch?!" She demanded. Suzaku looked down, his expression is that of a guilty man. "Where is he?!" She asked again.

Suzaku then looked up and back to the rising Damocles. And that was all the answer Kallen needed as to where the love of her life was. Furiously, the pain in her arm temporarily forgotten, she rushed forward and grabbed Suzaku by the collar of his pilot uniform and pulled him in close to her eyes and glared at him.

"So that's how it is?!"

"No! Kallen, let me explain-"

"There's nothing to be explained Suzaku! You just figured that this would be the best way to get rid of Lelouch without having to kill him! Just leaving him for dead!

"No! You've got the wrong-"

"After all he's suffered! After all, he's sacrificed! After all, he's done for you and everyone! You still left him to die! You are a spineless coward! Your nothing but a despicable-"

"**KALLEN!" **Suzaku shouted as he gripped both of her arms with his hands. Pain shot through Kallen as she now remembered the state of her arm.

"Sorry!" Suzaku winced as he let hee go and breathed to calm himself down. "I didn't leave him on purpose. He _asked_ me to leave! To get both Nunnally and Jeremiah off the Damocles while he dealt with Schneizel! Do you seriously think I was just going to leave him? After I made sure Nunnally and Jeremiah were safe, I was gonna head straight back to help him!"

"Then stop standing around here and go help him already!" Kallen demanded the Japanese boy. Suzaku didn't waste a nanosecond as he raced back up to the _Lancelot's_ cockpit and began to startup sequence. The mighty machine rose form it's slumped position and moved to fly off, extending it's green energy wings.

But then, the energy wings suddenly disappeared and the _Lancelot_ returned to it's kneeling position. The cockpit then opened up and everyone near could hear frustrated grunts and button mashing. "Nonononono! No!" Suzaku cried as he was frantically pushing as many buttons as he could to try and startup the Lancelot again.

"What's wrong?!" Kallen cried.

"The energy filler's empty!" Suzaku answered, clearly frustrated with himself for not noticing sooner. "Between all the fighting and surviving in this machine, I must have stopped paying attention and never realized the power was so low.

"Well then just get a new battery! Or hop into another Knightmare and go get him!" Nunnally cried.

"We can't," Cornelia said, looking down with a face of regret. "We don't have any more energy fillers, and even if we did, they wouldn't be compatible with the _Lancelot Albion. _In regards to Knightmares, they're all either destroy or too damaged to make the flight to the Damocles and back."

"Wait! So does that mean…" Nunnally began, terrified to finish the sentence she began.

"Yes, Nunnally," Suzaku said as he looked back to the Damocles along with the women with him. "It means that Lelouch is really on his own now."

* * *

The feeling of his fist colliding with a jaw and his jaw meeting the impact of a fist was the immediate feeling that Lelouch felt as he and Schneizel punched each other in the face. He staggered back a few steps and so did Schneizel.

But neither of them was done with each other yet.

Not even close!

Back and forth the blows went between the two brothers. Gut, cheek, arms, legs, the royal family crown jewels, etc. No part of the body was kept off-limits as the two brothers, no the two _animals_, tore into each other as they battled for dominance! The prize: the fate of the world in their hands!

At one point, Schneizel grabbed Lelouch by the head and squeezed hard, planning to crush his skull! Lelouch responded with a strike to Schneizel's bad arm, which allowed Lelouch to be free and take a few steps back t catch his breath.

Lelouch was breathing heavily. He wouldn't admit this aloud, but he was tired. More tired than he ever was in his life at the moment. Even more so than during his time at Ashford when Milly would pull one of her insane schemes. He had to thank Suzaku and the other's training that he was able to last this long.

Schneizel, on the other hand, seemed to be not as tired as Lelouch, which made sense considering the G-serum he took gave him improved stamina. And there was the fact that Lelouch had been fighting with his body longer than Schneizel had in this whole battle.

"You look tired Lelouch," Schneizel commented in a sadistic playful manner, finally catching onto the obvious signs. "Do you need to take a nap?"

Lelouch responded with a mocking laugh and two Batarangs. Schneizel had managed to cut the sharp projectiles before they made contact with him, but was unprepared for the spinning kick that Lelouch delivered to him, a move he borrowed from Suzaku.

"You wish!" He practically spat, grinning. "I'm not even close to letting this fight end. Especially with you on top!"

Schneizel simply stood back up and shrugged as if he didn't care, which he didn't. "It doesn't matter Lelouch, at the end of the day, this is merely a battle of stamina, not spirit!" He declared before pointing his finger directly at Lelouch. "And you are running low on that key component!"

Lelouch merely let out a growl at that comment. He wouldn't admit it, but Schneizel was right, he wouldn't last much longer if this fight was indeed one of stamina.

"It doesn't matter!" Lelouch countered. "Even if I lose this fight here, the Black Knights, the UFN, the EU, or some other organization will continue and destroy the Damocles! No matter what you do Schneizel, you've lost!"

However, Schneizel didn't even seem rattled in the slightest by that comment. Instead, he began letting out a small humorous laugh before it exploded into a full-on psychotic shriek! The action caused Lelouch to stare in disbelief at his elder brother. What on Earth could he be laughing about?

"I'm afraid dear brother that our roles are somewhat reversed." Schneziel declared as the laughter died down. "For you see, it is no matter what _you_ do Lelouch, that _you_ have lost! You and your pathetic allies!"

"What are you talking about?!" Lelouch demanded, fear rising in his gut at what Schneizel was implying.

"Schneizle merely smiled in a psychotic smile that simply said, 'I know something you don't!' "For you see Lelouch, during our little… ruffle, I found out about a key detail that assures me of absolute victory!" Schneizel declared.

That was when it finally hit Lelouch. '_No! __**NO!' **_He thought in fear as he finally understood what Schneizel was talking about. '_He can't mean that we've already-!?'_

"Yes dear brother, I do!" Schneizel answered Lelouch's unspoken question, smiling in delight as he saw the fear plastered on his brother's face. "For now the Damocles has reached over 300 kilometers! The height needed to bring about an end to this world and the birth of a new!"

* * *

"Come again?!"

"You heard correctly Commander Ohgi! The Damocles has reached a height of 300 kilometers, and it seems they have also repaired the FLEIJA cannon!" the technician repeated.

Ohgi gritted his teeth in frustration over the su=ituation they were now in. "They hadn't heard a word from Lelouch (or Zero? Or Batman? Or whatever he wants to call himself now?!) since the explosion about an hour ago. And they couldn't send any Knightmares over to sabotage the Damocles, they were either in maintenance or destroyed.

But they had to stop the Damocles however way they could from firing on the world.

And that left only one option.

"Prep the Ikaruga's main guns and get us within striking distance of the Damocles!" Ohgi ordered. "Get ready to hit that flying fortress with everything we've got!"

All those present on the bridge looked at him as if he'd grown a second head! "Sir we can't do that much with the main guns! At the power level were currently at, we'd only get one shot! And after that our power would be expensed and we wouldn't have enough for the shields!"

Ohgi growled at the predicament they were in. they were only to get one shot at the offensive, and after that, they would be completely defenseless. That left only one option. "Have the guns target the FLEIJA cannon! If we destroy that, then we should cause a FLEIJA blast to go off in the Damocles and destroy it completely!" Ohgi ordered everyone.

The entirety of the population on the bridge turned t their commander in shock at what he was suggesting. "Sir?!"

"You all heard me!" Ohgi glared at all those present in the room with him. "Now get to work!"

"No! You can't!" Came a loud, fearful feminine cry form the entrance of the bridge. Ohgi turned to see Kallen, Suzaku, Cornelia, and Nunnally all there before him staring at him in disbelief. Nunally seemed to be the one who spoke.

"Nunnally's right! You can't fire on the Damocles to destroy it yet!" Suzaku said as he looked the Black Knight general in the eye. "Lel-Batman is still on that thing! Give him time to destroy it himself! Have faith in him!"

"We don't have time for faith!" Ohgi counter. "We have to destroy the Damocles before it fires on the UFN or another city and claims who knows how many innocent lives! We have to act now!"

Kallen's eyes flashed with shock but then quickly turned dangerous at Ohgi's reasoning for wanting to destroy the Damocles. "So that's how it is then Ohgi!?" She spat with such venom with a glare that could most likely make Cornelia run scared.

"What?" Ohgi said, not understanding Kallen's statement.

Suddenly, Kallen flashed forward and viciously grabbed Ohgi by the Collar with her good hand. The action taking all those present on the bridge by surprise! Suzaku gulped nervously but was extremely glad he wasn't on the receiving end of one of these moments again.

"It's not just enough to get rid of Schneizel and destroy the Damocles, but you also have to go and kill Batman to satisfy yourself!" Kallen accused white-hot fury in her eyes.

"Kallen that isn't my int-"

"Even after all he's done for us?! Bith as Zero and Batman?! Your still so eager to throw him away when he served his use to us!"

"Kallen I wasn't intending on-"

"I can't believe you! I just can't believe you! What in the world made Naoto think that you could ever lead us! If I could change things, you would have died instead of him!"

That one hit hard for Ohgi. He knew that it was mostly his fault for the death of Kallen's brother Naoto. Ohgi had even often wondered what would happen if he would have died in Naoto's place, maybe things would have been better. But to hear that from Kallen of all people, hurt way more than the bullet that Villeta put into his gut over a year ago. He then felt a new wave of shame wash over him as he looked down.

Kallen noticed, and immediately realized her mistake in her declaration. She then quickly tried to apologize. "I-I'm sorry Ohgi! I… I didn't mean-"

Ohgi merely held his hand up to stop her from continuing. "I deserve it." He simply said, the guilt and shame evident in his voice. "And you were right. It should've been me who died that day instead of Naoto."

The bridge then fell silent.

Ohgi then turned back to the floating fortress. When he did, something caught his eyes and caused them to widen as a plan immediately came to mind.

"He then began typing in a list of coordinates into the Ikaruga's database. "Have the main guns switch their targets from the core of the Damocles to these coordinates I'm sending out!" Ohgi ordered as he finished typing. "That oughta give Batman a little more time to stop this!"

"Yes, commander!" the weapons officer said as he got back to work.

Ohgi then looked back to the Damocles. While he knew his plan wouldn't stop the Dasmcoles completely as opposed to blowing it up, it would at least give Batman time to do his damage to the flying fortress.

Ohgi only hoped and prayed it was enough.

* * *

"Witness the beginning of a new age brother!" Schneizel declared madly as he lifted his right hand high in the air. "With only a snap of my fingers, I can order the destruction of this world filled with war and give birth to my world that is filled with peace."

Lelouch could only look at his brother with eyes wide and mouth open in disbelief. Was Schneizel really going to go through with this?! He then shook his head when he found his answer. Of course, he was! And that meant Lelouch had only one thing to do. He rushed Schneizel head-on and engaged him in a violent fistfight that was unlike any fight he had before.

"Why do you resist me and my vision for a new world brother?!" Schneizel asked as the two continued to trade blows with each other. "You wanted such a world for Nunnally and those you love, yet you try to stop your best chance to make that world a reality!"

"Your insane!" Lelouch called back as he put the pressure on Schneizel. "You're insane to think that holding the world hostage with the threat of destruction is peace! Such peace isn't any true level of peace, it's fear!"

"And the world will be brought to peace because of this fear!" Schneizel countered as he blocked a jab and delivered his own. "Humanity can never control themselves, they need something to fear to give them the push to stay peaceful with each other!"

"Not if we stand united!" Lelouch fired back as he delivered a roundhouse. "Not if we push for a future! Not if we change our nature and our ways and work for tomorrow!"

"Change?!" Schneizel repeated furiously as he then shocked Lelouch with his electric hand. "Don't make me laugh Lelouch! Humanity, in all its time of existence, has never changed! They always were and always will be, a barbaric species! And you believe they can change!?"

"Euphie did!" Lelouch declared as he extended his claws and slashed Schneizel's face. "And I believe in Euphie! So yes, I do believe we can change!"

"And who was it that killed Euphemia dear brother?" Schneizel asked rhetorically knowing full well that Lelouch knew the answer all too well. That comment caused Lelouch to freeze for a moment, which allowed Schneizel to blast him away with a shockwave from his hand. "You were the one who killed Euphie for her ideas, now here you are claiming that she was right all along? You're a hypocrite and a fool Lelouch!"

As Lelouch struggled to stand after the last attack, he thought back to the moments with his sister when he started to believe that the Special Administrative Zone could work. But because of his carelessness use of his Geass, that dream couldn't be a reality at that time. But now Lelouch had changed, and he was going to make up for the wrongs he did that day. No matter what happened to him or who stood in his way.

"I know what I did," Lelouch said, his tone somber, as he stood fully up and faced Schneizel. "And I know I'll most likely suffer for the rest of my life and beyond for it. But," His tone then changed from one of power and fierce determination, "I won't let the mistakes of my past, no matter how haunting and damaging, keep me from accomplishing my goals for the future! I will create the kind of world both Euphemia and Nunnally want! The future that humanity longs for!"

"Humanity doesn't want a future, nor can they achieve it!" Schneizel fired back. "All they want is to stay in the present, never changing so they don't have to fear the future. Mankind can't make their own decisions, and when they do, it only leads to more chaos. And that's what I will give them. The curse of freewill will finally be lifted off their heads and they shall no more make decisions that lead to such chaos! I will create a place where they don't have to worry about changing, or making their own decisions! That is the world they desire!"

"Your wrong!" Lelouch shouted with righteous fury. "People aren't like that at all! I won't let you take away our ability to choose for ourselves!" He then reached into his belt and gripped an object. **"I WILL STOP YOU!"**

He then threw the object, a freeze blast toward Schenizel. He brought up his flame sword to slash the object, but as before, when the blae of fire made contact, the device exploded in a blue cloud and extinguished the blade.

Lelouch the sprang into action! He sprinted up to Schneizel and delivered a dropkick to his face that knocked Schneizel back. Lelouch pressed his advantage as he began assaulting Schneizel with a freeflow combo of punches and kicks in the form of a beatdown on his brother. He then delivered a roundhouse that sent Schneizel spiraling back and down to the ground. Lelouch charged to strike him in the face. He threw his fist…

… and froze.

Lelouch just stood there, his face was frozen with shock, mouth opened wide, and eyes widened, his arm extended past Schneizel's face to the side of his head. On that very face, was a wicked grin, a grin of victory. Lelouch then felt his body go slightly cold as he felt something twist inside his stomach. He looked down at the area and his eyes widened as he saw the handle of a knife in Schneizel's hand at the entrance at one of his exposed sessions of the suit.

A warm red liquid then began to make its way down Lelouch's cheek from his mouth. He was no expert doctor or anything, but he knew that the blade had struck a vital area.

"Do you know what kind of knife cuts deepest into the body of a human being Lelouch?" Schneizel asked rhetorically as he twisted the knife in his brother's stomach. Lelouch let out a howl of pain as he felt the twisting sensation in his stomach. It was not the sharpest knife (but it was sharp enough) or that longest knife (but it defiantly wasn't the shortest either) that had pierced his skin.

Schneizel then began to rise higher as he twisted the knife more, causing Lelouch to Hollar again in great pain. "You see, its the _slow_ knife," Schneizel began explaining in a chilly whisper as he kept pushing with the knife into his brother's stomach, "the knife that takes its time. The knife that waits _years_ without forgetting. It slips quietly between the bones."

He then stood tall as he loomed over Lelouch triumphantly. Lelouchused whatever strength he could feel at the moment to look up at his brother who held a monstrous smile on his face. "That's the knife," he whispered just barely able to hear, and that sent chills through Lelouch's body, "that cuts _deepest_."

So fast! A strike at Lelouch's face as soon as the knife was pulled viciously out of his side. Another blow came to the bottom of his chin and would have sent his head flying off if the neck didn't keep it on. Another in his gut. His wound. His damaged leg. Face. Stomach. Cheek. Chin. Neck. Arm.

He was now on his knees just barely, but not for long. A foot then came and struck him square in the stomach that sent him collapsing to the metallic floor. Then there was a blow to the side of his face that sent him rolling over twice and back onto his stomach. All the while, the pain was excruciating!

As he laid there on the cool metal floor, his mind went back to that moment in the alley where he saved Warren and Mary McGinnis. And he remembered what he first felt when he was on that ground, helplessness.

He tried to stand up, or at least get back up to his knees, but a heavy foot then stomped on his head. The foot's owner was obvious as they then began to give their victory monologue.

"Do you understand now Lelouch?" Schneizel asked, smiling with insanity as he stood triumphantly over his brother. "_I'm_ the slow knife. And the world is the human body I'm cutting into. I've waited for years. Over two decades! All the while taking my time, and slipping in between all the bones, bones like you, father, our siblings, and the Black Knights. All that patience so that I may finally succeed in killing this world!"

* * *

The Ikaruga was now in close range to the Damocles, the flying fortress' lower bow cannon had begun maneuvering so that a FLEIJA warhead could fire at the desired target.

On the bridge, Ohgi and everyone was tense, if they missed, or if this didn't work, it was all over. They only had one shot, after that, the Ikaruga's energy was spent and even the shield would be down.

They _had_ to make it count.

Ohgi took a deep breath to steady himself. "Ready!" He called to the firing control.

* * *

Schneizel then took his foot off Lelouch and then rolled him over onto his back with a kick. "You were given the illusion that you could actually succeed against me Lelouch because I wanted you to have it." He stated grimly as he continued to look down at his wounded brother.

Then he grabbed him by the neck, lifted him off the floor, and slammed him against the metal wall. "That is the danger of hope. With hope, there can be true despair in those who hold onto that hope."

* * *

"Aim!" He then said as the firing group did so.

* * *

"And now dear brother," Schnezile said as he rose his free hand and held his fingers together as if he was going to snap them. "With a snap of my fingers, I will destroy the country you had grown to love. Witness Lelouch, the destruction of Japan! The end of this world! **AND THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW!"**

* * *

"**FIRE!"** Ohgi ordered the gun controls.

* * *

The Ikaruga's main guns charged up at full power, then delivered a powerful blast that hit the Damocles's main float engine! The flying fortress then began to descend below the 300-kilometer height requirement.

* * *

The room the costumed duo were in shook violently like they were experiencing an earthquake. But they were in the sky, so Schneizel figured it was something else. He brought the hand that was about to snap up to his ears. "Bridge control report! What's happening?!" He asked furiously into the comms.

"_W- we're sorry Your Highness! B-but the Black Knight's flagship just took out our main float system, we can't attain the height of 300 kilometers. And we can't repair it in time before the Black Knight ship destroys the Damocles!"_

Schneizel then closed down the communication between the bridge, then huffed in anger and annoyance.

His eyes then widened when he heard a tired chuckle from where his other hand was. He snarled as he looked to the smirking face of Lelouch as he stared at his brother. "Maybe…" Lelouch began tiredly before coughing, "... maybe your knife… was too slow?" He then gave another tired laugh. "And the thing about hope… if you give it to the right people… even if it is a lie… they'll never let it go." '_I should know.'_ Lelouch thought warmly as he thought back to his days as Zero.

Schneizle merely growled as he struck Lelouch hard in his knife wound, causing the boy to howl in pain. "It doesn't matter!" Schneizel denied with a look of pure rage in his eyes. "I'll just kill them after I'm done with you!"

He then brought up his free hand which then sparked with deadly electricity. "And after I do that, I set the Damocles out to destroy the closest, city, and then another city, and then another, and it will all be on your head, Lelouch!" Schneizel declared, any trace of sanity gone from his voice and soul as he stared at his brother. "And no matter what you, or your friends, or your loved ones, or your allies do this world will burn!"

He then brought his mad face up close to Lelouhc's pained one and declared softly, "I am.. inevitable!"

'_Maybe he's right?' _Lelouch thought to himself weakly as his eyes suddenly became heavy. '_After all, even when we were younger, no matter what I planned or did, he always had a counter to every move I made. Maybe I was fighting a losing battle, to begin with, and was just too stubborn to accept it?' _He was ready. He was ready to accept his end. As he did, the face at the people closest to him that he lost flashed through his mind. '_Euphie, Shirley, Rolo, C.C.… I'll be seeing you all real soon.'_

He then closed his eyes.

…

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… And then three others entered his mind. a young girl sitting in a wheelchair with eyes matching his and donning an innocent smile as she looked at him. A young man his age with green eyes and brown hair held a friendly smile toward him. And finally was a beautiful young woman, hair crowned fiery red and held beautiful blue eyes, and she was smiling lovingly toward him.

But he wasn't going to meet them. Instead, he was going to leave them.

"Yeah, yeah… I know…" He muttered weakly as he coughed up a couple of times as his eyes began to open slightly. "Y-You're inevitable." His eyes grew wider. "But you… I think you…" His eyes were now fully open. "Forgot…"

Lelouch then used all his strength and slammed his forehead at the bridge of Schneizel's nose! Blood erupted from the impact as Schneizel released his brother from the hold he had on him. All the while Lelouch declared with a voice more powerful than he ever held before while having his teeth clenched.

"**I'M BATMAN!"**

Schneizel attempted to regain his balance, but Batman wasn't giving him even the chance as he struck viciously across his brother's face, blood on his knuckles, knocking the madman further back.

"I can't lose," Batman muttered under his breath.

Schneizel then pulled out his flame sword and rose it high to bring it down upon Batman and kill him.

"Not to you!" Batman declared as he brought his hands up.

Schneizel gasped in fright at the sight before him. The blade of fire was kept from its mark on Batman's head. And holding it in place from killing him, was _his_ very own _hands!_ Batman merely growled as he fought through the pain, both old and new.

He then ripped the blade out of Schneizel's hand and threw it to the side and gave another brutal strike across his face. He didn't slow down at all it seemed like he was getting faster and more ferocious in his attacks as he continued to attack Schneizel with everything he had.

As he kept the barrage going, faces flashed through his mind. Both alive and dead. Kallen, Suzaku, Nunnally, C.C., Euphie, Cornelia, Shirley, Jeremiah, Sayoko, Milly, Rivalz, Rolo, Nina, everyone he cares and cared for flashed through his mind as he was fighting, both his brother and the pain.

He would live. He would live for them. For all of them. To be with those still here. To honor those he lost. He was living for them. Fighting for them. And as long as he still lived, he would continue to fighting. Fighting for them. Fighting to protect all of them!

He then gave a powerful kick that was able to knock Schneizl way back. "**Let's end this!" **Batman declared.

Schneizel struggled to get up, but when he did, he pulled out his last pumpkin bomb and threw it over to Batman…

Who ended up catching the explosive in his hand and threw it up to the ceiling. The bomb exploded! Destroying the wall behind it and letting sunlight pour into the room. The sunlight hit the Goblin straight in the eye, causing him to shield himself from its rays.

The with a faint sound of thrusters being fire, the light was covered by a shadow. He removed his hands, and gasped at the terrifying sight before him!

A creature of justice.

An agent of vengeance.

A winged beast.

A silent guardian.

A watchful protector.

A dark knight!

Golden wings extended far outward. Right fist reeled back. Legs pulled up. Closer and closer. And then…

**POW!**

The strength, force, and power behind the punch were enough to send Goblin flying back into the control consul, his hands still sparked with that blue electricity. When he made contact, the consul and his whole body erupted with electricity and he screamed in pain as his eyes went wide and his body had lighting dance all over it. After a moment or two, the current stopped, and Schneizel wobbled around for a bit before he finally collapsed to the floor, face first.

Batman stood up for a few more moments to make sure Schneizel was finally down for the count. When he confirmed that Schneizel was indeed down, he smirked victoriously as he let his arms drop to his side.

"Checkmate!" Was all he could say before he slumped to his knees and fell onto the ground to join his brother.

He laid there on the metal floor for a few moments, resting his mind, body, and spirit. Then he finally had the strength to push himself to his knees, if only just barely though. He was breathing heavily, more so than he ever had done before in his entire life. He was tired more tired than anything thing before this. He was gonna enjoy a nice long nap when he got home. Wherever home is for him now that is?

After taking a few more moments to catch his breath, he then found the strength to barely, just stand up. When he fully stood up, his eyes spotted a familiar object that nearly killed him multiple times. Schneizel's fire sword. He then limped over to the sword, the pain in his left leg reemerged, but he powered on through the pain.

When he reached the device, he knelt and picked up the hilt with his right hand and inspected it. His mind then got a dark thought as he turned toward the unconscious form of Schneizel el Britannia. He then pressed a button and ignited the blazing blade.

He then walked over and stood high above the fallen form of his mad elder brother, still unconscious. '_So easy.' _The phrase kept repeating over and over in Lelouch's mind. He could kill Schneizel right here and right now and no one would ever know. He could easily claim that

Schneizel refused to surrender and to be saved when he offered it. '_It could be so easy to rid the world of this filth!' _The voice in the back of Lelouch's mind told him.

He gripped the blade with both hands and raised it high, ready to bring the blade down upon Schneizel.

"_The only ones who should kill, are those prepared to be killed." _

Lelouch froze as words he once always spoke echoed into his mind. That's right. He always believed that to be the case when it came to killing. He first used those words when he got his Geass years ago in the Shinjuku ghetto. Back then, Lelouch was always ready to die, no matter what way it was. No matter what he wasn't prepared for, he was always ready to die.

But now…

He brought the sword down in front of him and pressed another button that extinguished the blade of fire. He then flipped the hilt and held it in a reverse grip, then brought the hilt up to his left forearm blades. He then extended them outward as the _Kōmori's _MVBs were able to do.

And then in one swift motion, he brought the hand holding the hilt down and shot the arm with the extended blades up and cut through the middle of the hilt as the other half when down to the floor.

"I'm not ready to die yet," Lelouch said to himself as he threw the remaining half of the hilt to the ground. He let his mouth turn into a small smile. "Not anytime soon."

He then made his way over to the consul which supposedly held the keys to the self-destruct. But when he got there, there was a _small_ problem…

"You have got to be kidding me?!" Lelouch shouted in frustration and anger as his current predicament. Turns out the _small_ problem was actually a very _big_ problem! The impact with the consul, plus the electricity form Schneizel's gloves, caused the consul to short circuit and fry all the systems. _Including_ the self destruct mechanism he came down here for!

He then looked around the room for anything that might help him destroy the Damocles. He kept scanning the room and then came across a FLEIJA warhead that was in the firing chamber. As he saw that, and an idea came to him.

He quickly scanned the status of the FLEIJA cannon. According to the scan, the cannon was still closed. He then glanced toward the hand the Schneizel had said he 'with a snap of his fingers he would destroy this world and create a new one.'

As he remembered those words, an idea came to Lelouch, and a devious smirk formed on his face. He then walked over to the unconscious form of Schneizel and grabbed the hand which Schneizel indicated with. As he took off the glove, he stared at the piece of armor with a smile on his face.

"Sorry Schneizel," Lelouch said with a sheepish smile and a tone that meant he was not sorry at all, "But I'm afraid _I'm_ going to be the one who will destroy the world… and create it anew!"

* * *

"The Damocles has fallen from its 300-kilometer height and has yet to try and reach the height again." A bridge officer reported as he continued to monitor the Damocles for the past 30 minutes. "And it seems that nearly all those present on the Damocles have evacuated."

"Keep alert! I don't want any more surprises!" Ohgi ordered the officer, who nodded and continued his work. Ohgi then turned to the other side of the bridge. "What's the current status of the Ikaruga?"

"The Ikaruga is as we thought. It's on low reserve power and our shields are offline, and so is our weapons system. It's a miracle that we're even still in the air!" The officer informed Ohgi. "If they attack us now, we're done for."

Ohgi sighed at the situation. There wasn't much they could do at the moment. So they just had to trust that Batman could find a way to destroy the Damocles before they decided to destroy them.

Speaking of Batman. "What about Batman?" Ohgi asked, turning his head toward the chief comm officer. "Any word from him yet?"

"No response so far." The comm officer reported. "But I'll keep trying."

Ohgi grimaced at the news. The last they heard about him was that he was fighting Schneizel who became a psychopath, but that was over an hour ago. There was a strong possibility that he was dead. But if they were true, then they were all dead. Though he could've have stopped Schneizel then died. Or he could just be taking his sweet time and making them worry.

Regardless, him not responding was driving Ohgi crazy. And he wasn't the only one.

Nunnally was fidgeting in place and constantly making art with her hands to keep her busy. Her now being able to see was greatly helping to keep her distracted as Cornelia began showing her all sorts of different and amazing places with her the ship's computers.

Suzaku kept pacing around, muttering under his breath that he wished he had a Knightmare, or that Lelouch was an idiot and some other things in the Japanese language. He asked a couple of times if they had any Knightmares available, but each time he received the same answer. No.

But the worst one taking it was Kallen. She kept pacing around the bridge even more frantically than Suzaku and fidgeted her hands even more than Nunnally was. Also, she kept asking the comm officer if he heard anything new from Batman every ten minutes or so. And while Suzaku may have asked a couple of times, Kallen had asked _at least _15 times in the last hour if they had any Knightmares for her to take out and go get Lelouch. And she received the same answer as Suzaku 15 times. No.

Ohgi had wanted to comfort her on multiple occasions in the last hour, but each time he stopped himself. What she said about him dying instead of Naoto still stung in his heart, so he figured she would only yell at him and say something else that would sting, something he deserved.

But…

He sighed. If he was ever gonna fix the bridge between him and Kallen, he had to start somewhere. And now was probably the best time to do so, in case they died in the next few minutes.

"Kallen…" He called out to her. He stiffened when she looked over to him, fear welling up in his body and soul. But he took a deep breath and gulped down a lump in his throat. He had to do this. "Look-"

What he was about to say next was cut off when the alarm rang throughout the bridge.

"Picking up a build-up of FLEIJA energy from the Damocles!" The officer that was monitoring the Damocles reported, fear evident in his voice.

"Where's the warhead targetting?!" Ohgi asked as he assumed commander mode again.

"No. it's not leaving the Damocles." The officer reported sounding confused. "Rather, it's building up at the FLEIJA cannon and not exiting the fortress. But staying inside."

Ohgi and everyone present on the Bridge frowned in confusion. '_Inside the Damocles? What could it be that's-'_ Then Ohgi's eyes widened with realization. He then looked back over to the Damocles with shock evident in his eyes. '_Wait! Does that mean its gonna-'_

He got his answer when a pink ball of destructive energy began expanding from the FELIJA cannon section the Damocles and to consume the entire flying fortress.

All while this was going on, Kallen, Suzaku, and Nunnally could only utter one word. Or more precisely one name.

"**LELOUCH!"**

Their cries of fear echoed throughout the Ikaruga and the battlefield as the sphere of energy enveloped the entire fortress. The shockwave from the blast shook the while Ikaruga, thankfully they were still well out of range of the destruction the ball of energy was leaving in its wake. After a few more moments of expanding, the ball began to dissipate and disappear. Leaving absolutely nothing left.

There was absolute silence on the bridge as the onlookers continued to look where the former flying fortress was. Then came the whimper of a female soul that had lost the love of her life.

"No," Kallen said as she fell to her knees, not believing what she was seeing. The tears were flooding in her eyes as her body was trembling uncontrollably. "Nonononononononono!" she then let out a hysterical cry of anguish, sadness, depression, pain, sorrow. "**NNNNNOOOOOOOOO!"**

Nunnally herself was trembling as the revelation sunk in that she lost her beloved brother. Tears began to gather in her eyes and she cried hard. She had just gotten Lelouch back, only to lose him in the worst possible way.

Suzaku began to hit the wall with anger. He failed Lelouch. He couldn't help his friend when he needed him most and he lost the best friend he ever had. All because he couldn't be strong enough or be better with a Knightmare. He should've just pulled Lelouch out of there against his will.

* * *

Throughout the world, cheers erupted that Schneizel el Britannia and the Damocles were destroyed and they were saved from a life of tyranny and destruction. But not all we're celebrating this victory. Some were mourning a terrible loss.

* * *

Back in the bat-bunker, all the occupants in the room held feelings of sadness at the loss of Batman/Lelouch. Sayoko was crying, depressed that she lost the boy who became something of a son to her. Nina was crying as well, though she wasn't as close to Lelouch as others were, she too saw him as a friend, even if he did kill Princess Euphemia. Even the Knightmare obsessed scientist pair looked down in sadness for the loss of a wonderful devicer and a hero.

* * *

On Horai Island, the leading members of the UFN were cheering and hugging each other that they had just survived another disaster thanks to the efforts of the Black Knights. But like the world, not all were celebrating.

Viletta was looking down in shame and anger at herself for doubting Lelouch, which then led the boy on a journey to prove he changed and ended up getting himself killed.

Kayuga had tears fall down her face. To others looking, they would assume they were tears of joy for the victory they achieved in destroying the Damocles. But in reality, they were for the sadness of losing a friend like Lelouch. His life, the life of a hero, is the price to pay for the salvation of the world.

* * *

On the news copter that was reporting the battle, Milly was unable to announce the victory of the Black Knights, because the sadness and tears filed her throat making her unable to speak as a boy she considered a true friend died trying to save them all, even though most of the world hated him.

Rivalz for his part was crying as well. Because even though Lelouch lied to him about a lot, he still considered the boy his best friend and his partner in crime. And to see him die trying to save the world made Rivalz proud to call him his friend, and sad to see him gone.

* * *

In the medical facility of the Ikaruga Jeremiah could help but cry and curse himself for failing to protect his ord again. '_It's all because I was weak!' _He screamed furiously into his mind.

* * *

"Dang it!" Tamaki yelled as he slammed his fist on a consul he was closest to on the bridge of the Ikaruga. It happened again! He just lost his best bud again! Even though the whole of the Black Knights treated him like crap, he still came back for them. That's what made ZEro, no _Batman_, the best bud a guy like Tamaki could ever ask for!

He took a teary-eyed glance back up at the window, but when he did something caught his eye that caused him to stop crying. He frowned in confusion as he squinted his eyes and cleared the tears from them to get a better look at what he was seeing.

His eyes then widened in amazement! '_Could it be?!' _Tamaki thought as hope entered his soul and body.

"Outta my way!" Tamaki shouted toward the officer in charge of observation, which he shoved away before the words were out of his mouth. He then began to fiddle with the consul searching for a specific button.

"Tamaki?! What are you-"

"Quiet Ohgi! I have to concentrate!" He yelled at the said man as he examined the board in front of him. He then let out a frustrated groan as he pulled viciously on his hai. "Dang Scientist. Why couldn't they have labeled any of these buttons?!"

After a moment of confusion in himself and the onlookers, he finally found the buttons he was looking for as he pressed a couple of switches that activated the zoom function on the Ikaruga's camera. He then directed the camera to the object he saw out the window. Then began to zoom in on the object closer and closer.

When the camera was at maximum magnification, everyone present on the bridge gasped in absolute surprise.

And the next thing anyone ever knew, Kallen had sprinted at full speed out of the bridge and onto the upper deck. Suzaku, Nunnally, and Cornelia were not far behind her.

* * *

"Hey! What's that over there?!" The pilot of the helicopter called to his tow passengers. The two snapped out of their depressed states and looked in the direction the pilot was indicating. They found when they saw a large silhouette see to be flying, just _barely_, toward the Ikaruga. It was too small to be a Knightmare, and it didn't look like a drone either.

Rivalz brought the camera up and zoomed in on the object. And gasped! "Milly look!" He told the blonde newswoman. She came close to him and gasped herself when she saw who was on the screen.

She then broke into a wide smile as she turned to Rivalz. "What are you doing just standing there?! Get that camera up and start live streaming pronto Rivalz!" She told her henchman!

* * *

Back at Horai Island, the delegates then gasped when they saw the camera of the news report they were just watching zoom in on a familiar silhouette as it made its way to the Ikaruga.

However, Kayuga's tears of sadness quickly changed to tears of absolute joy when she saw who was one the screen.

* * *

As they saw on the screen the figure approaching the Ikaruga, Sayoko smiled and cried happily at the image she saw, Nina smiled warmly as well at the image she saw. Even the mad duo Knightmare specialist had a small happy smirk plastered on their faces.

* * *

Jeremiah cried happily as he saw on the screen in the medical wing the figure approaching the floating ship.

* * *

When Kallen arrived on the deck of the Ikaruga, she didn't stop until she was at the very far edge of the upper deck. When she arrived, she was absolutely out of breath as she was breathing in large gasps of air. But she didn't care in the slightest.

Her face was lit up with pure joy. Joy at the sight that Tamaki, despite his idiotic tendencies, was able to spot when no one else did. Bless that man and his family for the rest of his life!

When she finally caught her breath she looked up to see the figure, or figures, that appeared on the screen when Tamaki zoomed in on the image. She then took a deep breath. After her mouth was full of air, she called out, with all her might, _his _name.

"**LELOUCH!"**

* * *

Fighting off fatigue, the desire to sleep, the pain he felt all over his body, and the temptation to let his now psychotic brother fall to his death from his back, Lelouch finally came within proximity to the Ikaruga.

And then he heard it. Heard _her._

"**LELOUCH!"**

The voice of the crimson angel that had entered his life filled his ears like they were the most beautiful song he'd ever heard in his life. It also filled his spirt with a renewed determination to make it back to Ikaruga safe, despite the exhaustion and pain he felt all over his body, the weight that was holding him down, and the damage done to his suit.

Once again, he found himself thanking Suzaku and the others for the training he'd given him, even if it was pure torture. Along with Rakshata and Llyod for the upgrades to his suit, no way could he make the upgrades to the suit on his own.

As Lelouch came closer to the Ikaruga, he saw more faces appear on the deck along with Kallen. Suzaku, his best friend, his worst enemy, and his best friend once again. Nunnally, his once traumatized sister, who now received her sight again and could experience the color of the new peaceful world. Cornelia, the sister who he caused so much suffering too, but still chose to stand with him when he needed her. Words would never describe how happy he was for all of them and their help that made him the man he is today.

Others had joined them. Ohgi, Tohdoh, Tamaki, Chiba, Li, and others were also there to see him come home from his greatest battle. All holding emotion that he never expected them to hold: relief and joy.

And he held those emotions when he saw them again, no matter how much he hurt them or caused them such pain.

Unfortunately, however, the moment his feet were above the deck of the Ikaruga, the thrusters in his boots gave out…

And he very much did not stick the landing.

**A/N: And there you have it people, the climax chapter that I've been wanting to write for a very long time! I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

**Sorry that it took so long, it been busy this past month with coronavirus and school going on, also some days I just haven't been feeling the will to write. But I'm happy to be able to post this chapter and hope you guys enjoy it. Also, I've been dealing with some stuff, but I'm working on it, and writing helps.**

**Also, I know I made an easter egg to **_**The Dark Knight Rises**_**. That is honestly my favorite movie from the Nolan trilogy. I don't own the movie, it's property of Warner Bros. directed by Christopher Nolan. I included that scene because I thought that Schneizel was like a slow knife to the world and he's been waiting years to make his move to try and destroy the world. Also, I thought it would be cool to include the scene.**

**Also the fight I did with Goblin and Batman, I put everything I had into the fight while also leaving it up to your imagination. I hope you all like it and have fun finding the coolest way for them to fight.**

**And the next chapter is the final chapter in my story. We catch a glimpse of the new world that Lelouch creates, and his role in this world from this time forth.**

**Also on another note: this is officially the longest chapter I have ever written in this story. Nearly 20,000 words! Wow!**


	14. The World I Created

**A/N: I do not own Code Geass and Batman Beyond. Those works belong to Sunrise and Warner Bros. Animation respectively, and they are amazing works.**

**Here is the final chapter in my **_**Rise of the Bat**_ **story. This chapter will focus on what kind of world Lelouch has created and his role in making sure that the world stays safe for all who live in it.**

**And if there are moments where some may hate me for what I do in this chapter, please make it to the A/N at the end for my reasoning.**

**So enjoy!**

"This is Milly Ashford coming to you live from Ashford Academy, my old alma mater!" Milly reported with a giggle and a wink before becoming serious again. "It has been over a month since the defeat of Britannia's Second Prince Schneizel el Britannia at the combined efforts of the Black Knights, a splinter force of rogue Britannian military personnel, and the masked vigilante known as Batman."

"A week after the defeat was announced, the successor to the throne of Britannia was announced, and let's just say that some people, mainly the nobility, weren't all that thrilled when they learned who was now the 99th emperor of Britannia. However, I can proudly say that I am not one of them. In fact, I couldn't be more thrilled honestly!"

"Ever since he took the throne, he's had been making big changes to the Empire. So far, he's abolished the aristocracy system and the nobility status throughout the Empire, which mainly the nobility wasn't all too thrilled to hear about that. And he's also made sure that any record or propaganda of how Britannia was used to govern when Emperor Charles zi Britannia or any recent Emperor or Empress was in charge be destroyed. Many more were unhappy about his decision, but the majority supported their Emperor's decision."

"Also they have worked to demilitarized the army down to the sake of national defense only. Meaning that it seems that Britannia won't be establishing any new areas for the time being. And speaking of areas, it seems that he has also established Special Zones in all of the areas that are under Britannia's control, where the natives can establish their own rights and govern themselves however they want too. I'll say this right now about our new Emperor, they are an ambitious lot, aren't they!"

"However, what I and most others would say is his boldest move yet was when he announced his intention for Britannia to join the United Federation of Nations just days ago. Due to the current leaders of the UFN's troubled history with Britannia in the past, many worried that this decision was idiotic on the new Emperor's part. However, so far, the new Emperor seemed to have only the best intentions for all who rule under him and those who do not, so they agreed to it."

"However, the Emperor made a condition to have the meeting on neutral ground. That is why Ashford Academy is standing right behind me, for this is the spot the Emperor of Britannia chose to be the meeting location. No one for sure knows his reasoning for this, but they nonetheless agreed to the meeting location." In her eyes, Milly had a knowing smirk, for she knew exactly why the Emperor of Britannia had chosen this location. But she sure wasn't telling anyone else.

"For the past few days, the UFN has been setting up the gym of the school for the conference which is scheduled to be today. The Emperor himself had just touched down about ten minutes ago. Sorry ladies but you just missed him." She commented with a devilish smile, hoping that all that wanted to see the handsome Emperor were now holding their heads down in defeat.

She then blinked as if she heard a voice came out in her ear and tapped a headphone piece on her head that seemed to be giving her information while looking down taking it all in. After a moment of doing so, she smiled as she looked back at the camera.

"Good news ladies and gentlemen, especially the ladies," She once more donned her devious smirk, "I have just received word that the Emperor has arrived at the gym. Now let's go live for the press conference of the century!"

* * *

"Announcing his Imperial Majesty, the 99th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire, Lelouch vi Britannia!" The announcer said as the doors to the gym opened for said Emperor.

When the doors finally opened all the way, they revealed said Emperor walking in wearing his white and gold royal garb. He walked across the gym to the podium he was to make his speech with great confidence in himself, not even a hint of nervousness was in his eyes or his body. At least, not visible to those who didn't know him well enough.

When it was announced that Lelouch vi Britannia would be the Emperor of Britannia, many of its citizens weren't all that happy with the murderer of the last Emperor to take command just like that. However, it was written that whoever killed the previous Emperor in the Royal family was the next Emperor by law, so they couldn't really complain. But that didn't mean that everyone, mainly the nobility, was happy about the arrangement.

But over the past month, Lelouch had grown in popularity as Britannia's greatest Emperor, mainly due to the policy changes he made under his reign. He was even popular with the former areas that were once under Britannia's control and nations that weren't. But not everyone liked him, mainly because he was the Emperor of Britannia or because he was the son of a commoner.

At his side was his personal knight, best friend, the leader of the Knights of the Round, and the newly dubbed Knight of Zero, Suzaku Kururugi. After Lelouch ascended to the throne, his first decree was that anyone with the skill and the courage to be a Knight of the Round, whether they were nobility or not, Britannian or foreign, were given the position, and Suzaku was the one that stood above all of them as the Knight of Zero.

Along with them was Cornelia li Britannia. She was the believed candidate to be the Empress of Britannia, but she had given up her claim of the throne s that Lelouch could have his place back on the throne. She wasn't all that interested in the throne, to begin with anyway. So Lelouch made her in charge of Britania's army. Where she excelled as a General more than she ever could as the Empress.

And finally was Lelouch's own sister, Nunnally vi Britannia. She wasn't given any formal or official position in Britannia as of yet, she mostly just stayed by Lelouch's side and learned from him and how he governed Britannia. The reason why she was here, was unknown to all but two individuals.

In front of the group, was the head delegates of the UFN, with the chairwoman herself giving a warm smile to their guests, which they returned. However, almost all could sense the tension in the room.

Suzaku, Nunnally, and Cornelia hung back as Lelouch made the rest of the way up to the podium. Once he made it to the stand, the negotiations finally began.

"Greetings Emperor Lelouch!" Kayuga said with a small bow that the whole UFN followed with Lelouch giving his own as a sign of respect. "I do hope your ride from New Pendragon was pleasant." It was small talk to elevate some of the tension in the room.

"It was very enjoyable, thank you for asking chairwoman Kayuga," Lelouch responded in a cheerful manner.

"I only hope for your sake that it wasn't a wasteful trip." Kayuga suddenly said with a stern voice to show that things weren't going to be easy for the 99th Emperor. "As I'm sure you know, it takes a vote of a two-thirds majority of our members for you to join us."

"Of course. That is how a Democracy function, does it not?" Lelouch asked, acting like he studied up before coming here. But why would he need to study when he practically wrote up the whale UFN charter when he first created it as Zero? But he needed to make sure there was a clear separation between the two.

"And you are certainly aware that most of the countries in the UFN simply joined us because they wish to stand up against Britannia. And they have a… less than glorious history with Britannia?" Kayuga stated. It wasn't an insult of any kind, just the simple act of stating the facts.

"I am fully aware of Britannia's past injustice to those around it and under it." '_As well as my own.' _He thought to himself. "But I hope we can leave the past behind us where it belongs and move forward to create a brighter future. Together."

He truly sounded sincere, and Kayuga wanted to believe it. But with the fractured trust caused by him keeping too many secrets and his Geass, it made it hard to tell what Lelouch was really after and believe the words he said.

"You do realize," Kayuga continued, hoping the fears she was holding inside her weren't leaking into her facial expressions, "that with the break up of the Chinese Federation, the nation with the largest population density in the world currently is Britannia. So if you do join in the UFN, your country would have the most sway in political decisions."

Kayuga then gave Lelouch a stern frown, but it was purely professional, mostly. "So your options are that follows: Break up your Empire. Limit your voter's percentage to 20% of your population. Or release the former areas under Britannia's rule. What will you choose?"

* * *

"What do you think he'll decide?" Chiba asked to no one in particular as the head of the Black Knights watched the conference from the main screen in the Ikaruga's bridge.

"To be honest, I have no idea," Tohdoh admitted as he looked at the screen showing the boy's face. "Trying to find out what that boy is thinking is a fool's game and a waste of time."

"But what will we do if he decides to turn on us?" Chiba asked, not afraid t show her distrust of Lelouch. "If he wants to take the UFN delegates hostage, then this is the perfect opportunity to do so. And what's stopping him from doing something after that?"

"We'll have to trust him."

The occupants on the bridge turned to see the owner of that voice and were greatly surprised to see that is was Ohgi, who lead the coup against Lelouch in the first place, said that.

"Last time we doubted him, we ended up helping a psychopath almost destroy millions, possibly billions of lives on Earth." Ohgi reminded them. "We need to trust him, as he is willing to trust us. And we also can't forget about the _other_ matter."

All Black Knights present looked down in defeat when Ohgi brought that topic back up. They were referring to Lelouch's ultimatum. After he'd recovered from his fight with Schneizel as the Goblin, Lelouch made it clear to the Black Knight leadership that, while he didn't hold any ill wishes and desires to them, he still wasn't forgiving about them betraying him and trusting Schneizel and almost allowing him to destroy the world.

So he ended up showing them a file he obtained from Diethard when he interrogated the reporter. It was the footage of the Black Knight's betrayal of Zero. and Lelouch had made sure that he made enough copies that no matter how hard they tried, they wouldn't be able to erase the footage.

They knew that if that footage ever got out, they would all be ruined. Riots would be in the streets and the high command would be severely punished for their crimes or even executed for such actions. They were already in enough trouble for making the deal with Schneizel behind the UFN's back as it is.

It showed them that even though Lelouch had changed, for the most part, he still had that demonic personality inside him. Though Lelouch stated that if he ever did an action that would threaten the world, they had permission to stop him.

But he warned them: if they ever got in his way again, either as Emperor of Britannia or as Batman, he would show them no mercy!

So they had to believe in Lelouch, or then the Black Knights would be finished completely.

* * *

There was a tense silence as everyone around the world watched the Britannian Emperor seemingly contemplate his choices and the consequences of those choices.

However, Lelouch already knew what he planned to do, but he had to give off the appearance of actually thinking so that he could fool them into being tense. Simply for his own amusement. And to be able to take them completely off guard when he made his final move.

After a few tense moments, Lelouch finally gave his answer. "I accept all these terms that the UFN has given to me," Lelouch stated without a hint of doubt or regret in his voice. "I just want Britannia to be apart of something that will benefit the world as a whole. I don't care what power I must sacrifice to do so."

His answer baffled the delegates. They had all expect the boy to refuse such terms because that's exactly what his father and every other Emperor before him would have done, never even considering relinquishing any portion of their power. It was a test, to see if Lelouch really was different from the previous Emperors and that he truly wished to change Britannia for the better. And he passed with flying colors.

Kayuga gave off a sigh of relief that it ended this way, glad that Lelouch wasn't making any sort of play for more power. "Thank you for agreeing to our terms Emperor Lelouch, it seems that there's hope for this new Britannia yet." Kayuga smiled warmly at Lelouch. "But for now, before we make any decision, may we ask you to please leave the room while we make a decision?"

"Of course Chairwoman!" Lelouch said before he and the company bowed with respect as they turned and left the room.

* * *

"Are you really sure about this?" Suzaku asked Lelouch as they stood off to the side away from Nunnally and Cornelia who were still in the process of catching up and discussing old times.

"Yes," Lelouch answered immediately. "This is the only sure way for the world to accept a new Britannia and for it and the world to move on to a bright future."

"I agree, but…" Suzaku began, scratching the back of his head in uncertainty. "Are you absolutely sure that you made the right choice?"

Lelouch looked Suzaku dead in the eye. "Of course I am. After all, she is the angel to my demon." He responded darkly.

Suzaku gave a sigh of exhaustion that Lelouch was still comparing himself to a demon. "Your not a demon," Suzaku said for the thousandth time.

Lelouch tilted his head down slightly in shame and guilt. "Tell that to Euphie and Shirley." Suzaku took a step back in shock at those names, he had mentioned those names in a month, ever since he became Emperor. But then he frowned in somber.

The death of those two affected Lelouch greatly and still weighed heavily on the Emperor's mind. So much so that Suzaku was worried that Lelouch would never forgive himself or fully move on from their deaths to find happiness.

He then moved to place a comforting hand on Lelouch's shoulder, which the emperor slightly jumped at. "Lelouch, I don't know a lot of things." Suzaku began.

"Because you're an idiot," Lelouch said. The boys laughed in good humor.

"Yes, that's the reason." Suzaku laughed a bit more before becoming serious again. "But what I do know without a doubt, is that those two are in a much better place than they ever could be right now, and they are proud of the man you've become."

Lelouch vi Britannia was, for one of the rare times in his life, speechless. Suzaku Kururugi was both his best friend and his worst enemy. So much had happened between the two that Lelouch feared that they could never salvage and repair their friendship. For one of the few times in his life, Lelouch was glad he was wrong.

"Thank you, Suzaku," Lelouch said as tears of joy began to leak out of his eyes, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. After a few moments of tears, Lelouch took a deep breath, as he had his own thing to say. "And so you know, the task I'm assigning to you will be the most important thing I've ever asked anyone to do for me ever. And keep in mind, it doesn't matter if we're friends, if you fail, I will have you begging for death."

Suzaku knew Lelouch was being entirely serious, and the way he was now, he knew that he meant the words he spoke. But he merely shrugged. "Hey, I've wanted to die for about nine years now," Suzaku replied with a simple smile. "But you just had to give me that Geass command to live."

The two friends shared a good laugh with each other before the doors to the gymnasium opened again and a guard stepped out.

"The delegates have made their decision." He informed the company.

* * *

'_This is it.' _Lelouch told himself as he made his way back to the podium leaving his company behind. '_If they refuse, then all I've ever done and worked for would have been for nothing.'_

"Emperor Lelouch," Kayuga began, taking Lelouch out of his thoughts, "After much discussion and compromising, we the delegates of the UFN have made a decision."

This was it!

The tense silence was felt all over the world as everyone on the planet waited to hear the verdict.

Kayuga then smiled warmly as she then announced. "Britannia has now unanimously been accepted into the United Federation of Nations!"

The stress that had been building in his body and mind flooded out faster than water out of a dam that was completely destroyed in a wave of relief.

"You must now simply sign the UFN official charter and it will be official that you've joined us," Kayuga announced as aids then brought the said charter and pen before the 99th Emperor. Some viewers believed that the boy would snatch the paper and pen out of their hands right away and sign it right now.

However, to the surprise of all watching him, except to one, he didn't snatch it up right away, or even pick up the pen and sign it when they placed it before him. Instead, he just stood there looking down at the paper before him, his eyes hidden by the bangs of his hair, his expression unreadable.

Some delegates began to grow concerned by his lack of action. Some even began to fear that he was up to something sinister. Kayuga also began to have fear growing inside her, fearing that she didn't make a mistake.

* * *

"What's he doin' just standing there?" Tamaki asked with a frown as he and the others were watching Lelouch on the screen. "Didn't he get what he wanted? Why doesn't he just sign the dang document?"

There was no answer to his question given immediately. However, after a few moments, Tohdoh spoke up, suspicion filled his voice. "He's up to something."

Chiba gave off and annoyed and disgusted growl. "I knew we couldn't trust him!" She voiced out. "We can't let him make a move that would endanger the UFN. We have to stop him!" She was about to sprint towards the hanger when Ohgi called out.

"Wait!" His order caused her to stop in her tracks and everyone on the bridge to look at him in confusion. "We have to trust him. He's up to something, that's for sure, but we can't jump to conclusions and assume that it's bad, or else we end up ruining everything."

Everyone reluctantly followed the commander's orders. Ohgi himself knew that /Lelouch was up to something that would definitely shock the world, but what, he couldn't possibly know. He only hoped that Lelouch wasn't planning anything sinister.

* * *

Finally, Lelouch took up the pen and inspected it carefully. It seems to of a set of a famous Japanese story writer whose name he couldn't quite remember that Kayuga must have got out of some archives somewhere. Many thought he was going to sig the paper now. But again he did nothing but inspect the pen.

Finally, he put the pen down.

"Chairwoman Kayuga." He began, surprising everyone as he decided to speak, he then brought his head up and look at Kayuga dead in the eyes. "May I please be given permission to give a speech and announcement as my last act as Emperor of an independent nation before I sign any papers?"

Kayuga seemed to be taken off guard by the request, but she nodded. "That will be acceptable Emperor Lelouch, so long as you don't do anything that may threaten your standing with us now. We may have accepted you unanimously, but people's opinions can change very quickly." She said sternly.

"Thank you Chairwoman Kayuga." He said as he performed a bowed as a sign of thanks and respect to her. "And I give you my word that I won't do anything to compromise my standing with the UFN." He finished before taking a deep breath and letting it out.

'_All the necessary preparations have been complete. Now I need only execute.' _

"For over a hundred generations, the Britannian Empire has been built on the single belief that the strong rule and the weak must serve or perish under them. And they saw everyone lie that, no point in denying it." Lelouch began.

"Much of this belief has stemmed from the corruption of Britannia's own royal family. As long as they held absolute power, and refused to relinquish it, no true and everlasting change could be brought to Britannia no matter who was Emperor because even they never sought to give power."

He then took another deep breath as his eyes lit up with fiery determination. "But that all ends today! Today I am breaking that cycle of unrelinquished power! I assumed you all thought I was the one who would lead Britannia into a brighter future. Well, I'm sorry to disappoint all of you, but you're wrong."

Those in the conference room and all around the world gasped at Lelouhc's statement and what it all entailed beneath the lines. Was he doing what they all thought he was doing?

"I do not have the strength of the heart to lead Britannia into a bright and glorious future. I could only have the strength and will to prepare it as best I could, lead it up to the gate, and open the doors for the one who would take my place. But I myself am not worthy or strong enough to lead it in the glorious future it needs."

The world was shocked at what Lelouch was saying on live television. An Emperor, a successful Emperor, of the world's most powerful Empire, just admitted that he saw himself as unworthy and unfit to rule over the Empire in an era of peace. '_Was this true humility?'_ were the thoughts of many people around the world.

"Therefore," Lelouch continued, about to give his big finish like he always did as Zero, "I give both the throne of Britannia and the key to the future, to the one person who _is_ capable of leading this world out of the darkness and into an era of true peace!"

He then looked behind him and all eyes, and cameras, followed his focus to his trio of people that accompanied him. Or more specifically, the form of one girl.

"My sister! Nunnally vi Britannia!"

And, for the third time, Lelouch made the whole world go still.

* * *

"**WHAT?!"** Tamaki shouted in shock as he and all other Black Knights all held looks of absolute disbelief at what just transpired. "Is he serious?! He's the emperor of an entire Empire that loves him and obeys him, **AND HE'S THROWING IT ALL AWAY?! WHO DOES THAT?!"**

The rest of the Black Knights had similar looks of shock on their faces. One among them was Ohgi.

When he knew that Lelouch was up to something, he certainly wasn't expecting this kind of move. But then, he smiled almost proudly at the young man's actions. "Someone who wants a future."

* * *

"Wh-what?!" Nunnally cried in disbelief as she came back to her senses. Did she hear that right? Did Lelouch really hand over the entire Empire of Britannia to her of all people?!

She looked up to Cornelia who was just as shocked as she was over this revelation, but then she smiled in approval. She then turned her head over to Suzaku who had a knowing smile on his face, not even seeming fazed by the revelation. She then looked back over to Lelouch who had a knowing smile of his own as he looked at them. It then all clicked together in Nunnally's mind. '_Those two planned this!'_

"Is that desire acceptable Chairwoman?" Lelouch asked Kayuga, who was in her own state of confusion.

For her own part, Kayuga had been taken completely off guard by the request Lelouch had made. Her mouth hung wide open and her eyes were wide in shock. She certainly wasn't expecting this when Lelouch came here. Was He being sincere? Was this truly what he wanted to do?

She then looked Lelouch dead in the eyes, and one look from them was all the confirmation she needed.

Taking a deep breath to compose herself she then replied with, "Very well." The delegates were sent into an even greater shock that Kayuga accepted Lelouch's proposal so fast. "I accept your decision."

Lelouch nodded in thanks. Then he turned around and walked beach over to Nunnally and the others. When he arrived, he kneeled before her. She still had a shocked expression on her face.

"B-big brother," Nunnally stuttered, still not quite believing what she'd heard, "Is… Is this a joke? Be-because it's not very funny to me Lelouch!"

Lelouch giving a chuckle only seemed to make Nunnaly believe it was a joke before he looked at her with reassurance. "It's no joke, Nunnally," Lelouch answered her.

"B-bu-but I'm completely useless!" Nunally tried to object by shaking her head. "I failed and made no real change as a Viceroy. "I'm not strong enough to-"

Lelouch silenced her by gripping her hand and holding it tightly. "Nunnally," He began quietly and sincerely, "You have true strength. The kind of strength that I could never have. And you have a truly kind heart."

"But you also have a kind heart as well!" Nunnally tried to counter. But Lelouch merely shook his head.

"No," Lelouch said darkly. "My heart is sill to full of hatred and contempt for this country and it's people. I'm not fit to rule over the long term. I was only meant to get Britannia this far so that you could take it the rest of the way. You though, Nunnally, have the strength of a true Empress, but a heart kind enough to be the Empress this world needs. One who will love all her subjects. And besides…" He then took gazed behind her, which he followed, to see him looking at his best friend and half-sister, who both nodded in agreement that they will do all they could to help Nunnally. "You'll have help."

Nunnally was absolutely speechless. Her big brother, who always used to shoulder all the responsibility on his own shoulders so that she wouldn't be crushed by all it, had just dumped on her the biggest responsibility a girl like her could have. And he believed that she could do it.

"Bu-But what about you?!" Nunnally asked, curious as to what her brother would do now that he's not Emperor.

Lelouch turned his head to look outside at the crowd of people. He then smiled as he imagined a certain redhead among the crowd watching the broadcast with a look of absolute disbelief. He then looked back at Nunnally, with a playful smile donning his face. "I've got a girl I gotta catch." He told his sister with a playful wink in his eyes. Nunnally gasped again at what her brother was implying.

He then rose over Nunnally and gave her a quick kiss on the head. He then looked toward Cornelia and Suzaku with a serious look on his face. "Take care of her for me." He told the two.

They both nodded. "We will." They both said.

Lelouch smiled in thanks to the two former enemies of his.

Then, he bolted. He sprinted at top speed out of the gym while throwing off the royal garbs he wore that were slowing him down as he ran at full speed to the one person he needed to see.

The next thing Nunnally knew, the charter for Britannia to join the UFN and the pen were thrust in Nunnally's face by one of the aids. "Empress Nunnally," The aid said, which sounded somewhat weird to Nunnally, "You must now sign the charter for Britannia to be apart of the UFN."

Nunnally grabbed both the pen and paper and had her hand hover over the signature spot for a few moments, doubt creeping in her mind. But then she reminded herself that if Lelouch, Suzaku, and Corenila believed in her, then she should believe in herself.

She then took the pen and signed the paper immediately with a bright hopeful smile on her face.

* * *

Kallen had her mouth hung wide open. She thought Lelouch couldn't be able to surprise her anymore. Boy was she wrong! He just practically did the impossible: having an Empire that was famous for its belief that standing alone makes you strong join up with other nations that were its former enemy, and then he threw his position as Emperor away and handed it all over to his sister and left the room without making any such comment.

She was not the only one who was surprised by the 99th Emperor's actions. The ones that stood in the crowd with her had mixed opinions and feelings about all this.

"That kid is such an idiot! Throwing away his Empire like that!"

"Yeah, but doesn't that show that he's different from other Britannian Royals, giving up power?"

"But he gave all that power to a girl that can't even walk, how is that gonna be good for anyone in Britannia?"

"Well, sometimes it's the one that can't do anything that has the strongest will over one that can do anything." People looked in confusion at that one statement. The one who said it then rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "I got that from a fortune cookie," He admitted.

"Of course you did."

Kallen paid little mind to the rest of the comments as she tried to make her way out of the crowd of civilians and back to Ashford Academy.

Earlier when Lelouch first arrived with his entourage, she had volunteered to escort them to the gymnasium where the meeting was taking place. Lelouch asked if they could take a long way because he was feeling somewhat nervous. Of course, they had to feign ignorance of each other because if the Black Knight ace and 99th Emperor were that familiar with each other, people might start connecting the dots.

When they made their way to the Student Council building and were walking up the stairs, Leloouhc told the rest of them to go up ahead while he talked with Kallen for a few minutes. When the others were gone, Lelouch and Kallen gave in and kissed each other with as much passion as they could in the short time they had together. After they were finished, Kallen had wished Lelouch good luck and left the building waiting for Lelouch to finish. He also promised to take her to dinner tonight.

She certainly wasn't expecting this to happen when Lelouch went into the conference.

Now she was running back to the Academy, trying to find Lelouch and confront him over his decision before he decided to disappear again. She was about a block away when a hand shot out of an alley and grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into the darkness. She was about to scream and attack when her captor captured her lips with his own.

When she recognized the familiar feeling behind these lips, she let her guard drop and melted into the kiss and returned it with all her might. A long moment passed before she was finally free, much to her disappointment. She opened her eyes and smiled as the sight of her love. His violet royal eyes, his raven black hair, and his kind and truly sincere smile. He discarded his royal attire and was wearing the same clothes he wore when she found him in Shinjuku that one time with the vial of Refrain.

"Hey." He said simply with a smile that he rarely showed anyone. No, in fact, it seemed as if this was a smile he never let show around everyone, even Nunnally.

And then he just had to say something that took her completely off guard.

"Will you marry me?"

Kallen's face then became a brighter shade of red than her hair could ever be as her face shifted to absolute and complete shock. After a moment of contemplating on what he just said, Kallen gritted her teeth in frustration. She then brought her knee up into the royal family crown jewels. Hard! Lelouch let out a howl of pain as he slumped down to his knees, holding the area of impact.

"'Hey. Will you marry me'?! Are you serious Lelouch?!" Kallen screamed, her face still red with embarrassment. "You are unbelievable!" You work tirelessly for and to change Britannia from the Empire it once was, have it miraculously join the UFN, then throw away the position of Emperor, handing it over to Nunnally, and come over here in a dark alley and kiss me, then ask me to marry you and you think I'm gonna say yes right off the bell?! Who do you take me for!?"

Lelouch was still in the process of recovering his breath, as well as his dignity, as he let out a pained yelp. "Okay," Lelouch said in a high weak pitch, "Now that I think about it in that format, it might have been stupid on my part to do that. And I can totally see now how that made you angry." Lelouch then began to rise to his feet, although barely. "But in my defense, I wasn't planning on proposing right now, it was gonna be at dinner tonight, but when I saw your face, I couldn't help myself."

"And do you really think that is gonna make me any less mad at you?" Kallen asked with a raised eyebrow, still frowning in anger.

"Maybe? Yes?" Lelouch said with a hopeful idiotic smile on his face.

Kallen then sighed in annoyance as she slapped the butt of her hand against her forehead, turning away from the former Emperor. "Ugh! Why did I have to fall in love with such an idiot?" She muttered under her breath, but Lelouch was able to hear, and she wanted him to hear that.

"Well you aren't saying no," Lelouch pointed out as he stood fully up, although he still could feel the pain in the area of his body where Kallen hit him. "So do I take it as a yes you will marry me?"

Kallen's eyes widen when she realized he had her in his trap and executed his plan perfectly. Just like he always did. But she wasn't gonna make it easy for him, she wasn't like most girls, or any girls Lelouch knew before.

She then looked back at him, but not meeting his eyes, he faced being as red as her hair. "Ask me at dinner tonight and well see then." She told him instead, even though she already had his answer, but she wanted him to wait in suspense not knowing what Kallen felt in her heart, much like what he did to her when he went missing after the betrayal of the Black Knights.

She then looked back at him and asked the question that she originally planned to ask. "Why did you do it?" Lelouch gave a confused glance, and held a face that just screamed, 'Do what?'. "You know what!" Kallen screamed, causing Lelouch to back up against the wall with fear in his face.

One thing he learned as both Zero and Batman, is that you do _not_ anger the fairer sex, especially redheads if you want to live for a long time, and Lelouch had already angered his fair share of woman, so he probably wasn't long for this world, but he didn't want to be on it any less than he already was.

"Why did you throw away your position as Emperor and dump it all on Nunnally?" Kallen clarified, hoping he understood this time.

Now that Lelouch understood what she said, he began to stroke his chin as if in deep thought. Finally, after a moment he answered her. "A number of reasons. Some I mention in the conference, others I keep to myself, but the one I want you to hear is that I made a promise to you."

Kallen seemed to be confused by what he meant, which caused Lelouch to sigh. "Now who doesn't understand what the other is talking about?" Lelouch muttered under his breath. "Back at Horai Island before we entered the Chinese Federation after leaving Japan when you feel on top of me." Kallen's face then brightened as she recalled the memory, and then went red when she remembered how close her's and Lelouch's faces were to each other.

"You asked me why I came back," Lelouch continued the trip down memory lane, "So I asked you in return when this was over if you could then return with me to Ashford. I wasn't able to explain why I wanted that because we were interrupted by C.C. But here's my answer now." Lelouch took a deep breath, steeling himself for this part. "I wanted you to come back with me because I wanted to be with you in a place where we didn't have to worry about things like Britannia, war, and losing those closest to us. And I wanted you to be with me when we returned because you were the only one that I could see myself with when this all was over."

Kallen's face then went redder when he finished talking. He threw away his position as Emperor, just so that he could live in peace with her and not have to worry about such things. "So…" She began, unsure of herself as she asked her last question. "Your really okay fiving the throne of the Britannian Empire up just for me?"

Lelouch frowned in confusion. "Of course I am!" He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Did you not just hear anything I said just now. Besides, being Emperor of an Empire that's in control of over one-third of the world is overrated. And it is so hard to go out and be Batman when you're already exhausted from your duties as Emperor. And besides, I never wanted the stupid throne in the first place!"

Kallen then gave a small giggle as Lelouch listed the grievances of being Emperor. Most people would probably give anything to get in that position of power, but not him, he would gladly give it all up for no power at all.

"Well then," She said cheerfully, smiling as she began to make her way out of the alley. She then turned back to him, holding onto that happy smile on her face as she extended her hand to him. "Let's go and begin anew, shall we?"

Lelouch merely smiled as he took her hand with his and let her lead him out of the darkness into the light as she, and any others in his life, always did.

"We shall."

* * *

_Months later_

Lelouch walked up and took his place in the Ashford Academy gym area where graduation was being held for him and his class. It's funny, months ago Lelouch made an appearance in this very gym to usher in a new era for the world as the Britannian Emperor. And now he was ushering in a new era fr the lives of the students of Ashford as they leave school behind and venture off into the real world as class valedictorian.

In order to honey Shirley's memory of him, Lelouch had begun applying himself more often in school than he did before. And just like Shirley said, he began to rise through the ranks to become the top graduating Student of Ashford.

It wasn't easy, however. Due to him having to make up work, as well as his duties as Batman making it hard for him to stay awake in his classes. All that and busy planning for the next stage of his life, both his wedding to Kallen and his _other_ plans. It was hard to stay on top of all his school work. However, thanks to both Kallen and Rivalz, he was able to always get all his projects and assignments turned in on time and complete all he had to do to make it where he was. He also became very active in any form of service projects and clubs he could help with during his time back.

He was also made the President of the Ashford Academy student council. While many people were relieved that they had a president that was more level headed (and not a she-devil) unlike the last President, they were in for a surprise when he had begun doing some of Milly insane schemes and ideas when she was president. Although his were tamer and less forceful than hers. And under his guidance, they had finally completed the World's Largest Pizza, thanks to the guest of Honor the Knight of Zero, Suzaku Kururugi.

All in all, it was a great way to finish Ashford strong.

As he looked throughout the graduating class of Ashford these years, he was surprised by the amounts of changes that had been made since he returned after he gave up the title of Emperor. For one, the student body now consisted of Britannians _and_ Japanese, even half of the teachers were now Japanese. Also, most of the study material was now changed to reflect Britannian and Japanese culture, but _mostly_ Japanese considering this was their island.

Lelouch smiled as he looked upon the changes he made to both this school and this land, even the world. Feeling proud that he finally made a difference significant enough without giving in to the demon, as he had when he was Zero. Now he just had to give his speech, and then he could move forward with his life.

As he stood on the podium, he looked out to the crowd and spotted Rivalz and Kallen, front and center, looking up and giving him a thumbs up along with smiles of encouragement. He then looked to the back of the hall and saw Milly there, donning a smirk, with a camera crew and all, ready to record every moment of the former Emperor's Valedictory speech.

After clearing his throat of any imaginative frog or something, Lelouch finally spoke to the class.

"These past few years have most likely been the hardest in our lives. And I'm not just talking about exams and heartbreaks." That earned him a chuckle from the entire class. "No, all of us in this room have lost something in our lives that can never be replaced. Friends." He glanced toward Rivalz and Milly. "Family." He then turned to Kallen. "And loved ones." The faces of those he lost flashed through Lelouch's mind as he struggled to continue. "To the war that began almost three years ago now."

A moment of silence passed between all the students as they remembered all they have lost at the hands of this war.

"But now all of that is in the past." Lelouch continued after the moment of silence. "In order to honor those who lost their lives at the hands of war, we must put away with the past and embrace the future. I'm not saying that we should forget the past. We must _never_ forget the past!" His voice turned dark at that last statement. However, after taking a breath, he regained his composure and continued speaking.

"But we mustn't let the past drag us down and prevent us from changing who we are. We must remember the past and acknowledge the mistakes we made in those times to try and learn from it. To make sure that those mistakes can never happen again."

"We are now in an era of peace, and we, this generation, this group of people in this gym, and those like them around the world are the leaders of this new world." He then began to speak directly to all those around the world that were listening to him. "In order to make this peace last, every one of us must work with all our might to keep this peace, for the sake of not only our future but our children's future as well!"

He then glanced around the gymnasium again at all the students and then looked at both them and the camera, and in turn, the whole world. "We all have had a unique experience these past few years, some were more affected by it than others. But now is the time to move forward!" His voice then began to rise in strength. "Now is the time to unite this world and lead it into a better tomorrow! And I, Lelouch vi Britannia, wish you all the best of luck in creating and protecting the new world!"

A cheer went out through the gymnasium and the world as the graduating class threw their caps off!

* * *

"You know, I think you're better at inspiring armies than you are the student body." Kallen teased Lelouch as they were now outside of the Academy by Milly's news van. Waiting for both the blued haired Ashford graduate and his blond news reporter girlfriend. Lelouch and Kallen still couldn't believe that Rivalz had finally gotten Milly to go on a date with him and continue dating him after that. And he didn't even need Geass or be a superhero to do so.

"Well I'm no Milly," Lelouch admitted as he then massaged his brow in confusion. "I still don't get it. She was able to motivate the entire student body into doing her crazy and outlandish events like the World's Largest Pizza, yet I can't get anyone to participate in an international chess tournament except the chess club."

"Well…" Kallen began holding a hand to her lip as she was just considering the words he was just saying. Her lips then formed into a playful smirk. "You and fun don't go into the same sentence much Lelouch. Unless of course the words not, or isn't, or etc, are in there along with it."

Lelouch gave a cry, sounding offended, but merely faking it for play, it was a thing they did. "I beg your pardon madam. But I'm going to have to correct you in that analysis. I'm fun!"

"No, your really not Lelouch." Said a familiar voice. The duo turned to see Rivalz walk up to them with a smile on his face. "Lelouch you cool, your awesome, and a total boss. But you are definitely not _fun_. At least, not the kind of fun normal people think of." Lelouch, however, wasn't offended, at least not that Rivalz could see on his face, in fact, it almost seemed he took that comment as a compliment. Or at least the first part.

Lelouch then caught the sight of Milly a ways behind his blue-haired friend, walking toward then with a smile on her face while waving at them, but getting interrupted by multiple students who wished either to catch up or (more on the boys' side) ask for her hand in marriage. Seeing this was the best time, he then leaned in close to Rivalz and asked in a whisper. "Do you have it?"

In response, Rivalz quickly pulled out a small black box and showed them the ring that he planned on proposing to Milly with tonight. "Right here!" He said with a confident tone of voice.

However, from the combined experiences that both Lelouch and Kallen had at reading people over the years, they could immediately tell that Rivalz was more nervous than he'd ever ben in his life. In fact, it almost seemed like he was gonna shake all the skin off his bones.

He had spent the remainder of the money he kept from his and Lelouch's days of gambling on it. But it was totally worth it.

Provided she said yes of course.

Seeing his friend tremble as Milly came closer to them, he placed a hand on his shoulder to calm his friend down, and to stop the shaking. "Look, you've got this Rivalz," Lelouch said, trying to comfort his friend as best he could. "She's already dating you, which everyone thought impossible, to begin with, so don't worry or obsess so much if she says no before you ask. Otherwise, you'll drive yourself crazy."

"Like you have room to talk?" Rivalz asked sarcastically as he glared at Lelouch and Kallen. "When she proposed to you the second you asked."

"What makes you think yes was the first thing I said?" Kallen asked wit a raised eyebrow when she thought back on the moment he proposed to her. She didn't say anything to him at first. More like she hit him in a place where the sun would never shine.

"That's what Lelouch said when he told me that you two were engaged," Rivalz said with a confused frown as he pointed to Lelouch, who stiffened in slight fear.

Kallen's eyes ten turned dark and she then gave off an evil smile as she turned to Lelouch. "Oh did he now?" She asked dangerously, as Lelouch, instinctively, went to cover the royal family crown jewels. He really did not want a repeat of what happened when he first proposed to her.

He then rubbed the back of his head nervously and stuttered. "I-I might've just a teensy bit have… uh…. exaggerated when I told others of how I proposed to you. Hehe!" He let off a burst of nervous laughter. '_If you count ignoring the first attempt and getting right to the attempt that actually succeeded, then yes, I did exaggerate.' _Lelouch thought to himself as he continued laughing nervously.

The evil in Kallen's eyes remained for a moment longer as she continued to glare at him. But after a moment, the look ceased and she then turned back to Rivalz, donning a comforting smile. "Just ask her Rivalz, I'm sure she'll say yes."

Rivalz eventually calmed down enough that he stopped shaking uncontrollably, just in time too. Milly had just finished catching up with others, hearing the latest gossip, and denied a bunch of other proposals from the boys when she finally caught up to them.

"Why you all just standing around here for?!" Milly asked, impatient with the company before her. "Get in the dang van already or were gonna be late!"

The trio didn't even have time to move before Milly had grabbed both Lelouch and Kallen by the collar of their formal wear and threw them in the back of the van with human strength not belonging to a woman of her stature, Rivalz following shortly afterward. She then moved up to shout un and pulled her seatbelt on in a flash. "The FLEIJA crater, step on it!" She yelled to the driver, who did so with a push on the gas pedal that sent all those who weren't buckled in, mainly Lelouch, Kallen, and Rivalz, fly back and hit the door behind them with a 'thud'! A painful groan soon followed.

* * *

The FLEIJA crater was where the first FLEIJA was fired and where it destroyed the majority of the Tokyo Settlement. The reason why they were going over there now was that it was now a full year since the FLEIJA destroy the area. And there was a peace conference being held there headed by the 100th Empress of Britannia herself, Nunnally vi Britannia.

Officially she was here in Japan because she wanted to establish good relations between the Japanese and Britannians after so many years of hatred between the two races. She knew that all that anger wouldn't evaporate in one night, but she hoped she could at least begin the process of asking for forgiveness from this nation.

Unofficially, she was here for her brother's and Kallen's wedding, which was happening the day after the conference. It was a convenient enough time that everyone they wanted to attend would be in town, so Lelouch made sure they planned accordingly so that everyone could at least try to make an appearance. And so far it worked.

Speaking of FLEIJA, Nina was brought before the court of the UFN and almost tried with the death sentence fr creating such a weapon, however, Batman was able to step in on her behalf and say that Prince Schneizel was the true creator of the weapon, having manipulated Nina and turned her design for a new clean energy source into a weapon.

While that didn't excuse her crimes completely, she did get out of the death sentence but was forced to serve her sentence coming up with a new plan of clean energy that wouldn't erupt or be turned into a weapon of mass destruction. But she was actually looking forward to the project.

When they arrived at the stadium where Nunnally would make her announcement, it was already packed with so many people, and they were all Japanese and Britannian, and they weren't fighting each other at all, which was a relief.

When the news van parked at its designated spot, the group parted ways with each other. Milly went off with her cameraman to try and get a good spot to report of the announcement. Rivalz went along with her, but not before receiving good luck from both Kallen and Lelouch. Meanwhile, the couple went into the stadium to try and find their own good spot to watch the conference, but the place was too crowded. Thankfully they found a good spot of empty space near the exit and stood there.

They waited a few more minutes before the Empress and those with her finally arrived. On the Japanese side was the Chairwoman of the UFN, Kayuga. Along with the Supreme Commander of the Black Knights Ohgi, who stayed in command of the Black Knights. Some honestly thought that he would become Prime minister of Japan, but because of his actions in trusting Schneizel and going against Zero, he was lucky to still be in his position as head of the Black Knights. Also, Sayoko was there as part of the Black Knight guard but was really there to see her Lady Nunnally give such an amazing speech.

On the Britannian side, was the Knight of Zero Suzaku, who made sure to stay as close to the empress as possible, to protect her from harm. Jeremiah was there as head of the Britannian Royal Guard, who took his position with both pride and determination not to fail. Cornelia was also there to be able to guard Nunnally against any harm that may come to her, and her glare was enough to keep any Japanese or Britannian in the crowd from speaking up against her sister.

Finally, Nunnally appeared on stage as she wheeled her way up to the microphone. She cleared her throat slightly, the action caused the whole stadium to go silent as the Camera moved to focus on her.

"Citizens of Japan and Britannia." She began, a powerful determination in her voice that those who knew her never knew she held before. "On this day one year ago, the Tokyo Settlement was destroyed due to the creation of a terrible and horrific weapon of unimaginable destructive power. "If one looked closely enough, they could see the guilty expression on Kayuga, Ohgi, Suzaku, Lelouch, _and_ Nunnally. While she never did kill anyone with the FLEIJA, thanks to the efforts of the FLEIJA eraser and Batman, she did still feel the guilt of having to pull the trigger. But her face became strong as she resumed the speech.

"It saddens me that one of the first things I saw once my sight returned to me was the destruction of a place I had grown to love during my time living here." Herr face looked down with sadness, then formed to disappointment as she said her next statement. "And it saddens me even more that my ow Brother Schneizel tried t destroy more cities like this in the same fashion in some misguided quest for peace."

Most of the occupants of the stadium fell silent as they recalled the actions of the Second Prince, and how close they were to destruction all over again. Nunnally then lifted up her head and smiled. "But thanks to the combined efforts of the Black Knights," She glances over and smiled at Ohgi and Kayuga, "the true Britannian military," She then smiled toward her sister and Jeremiah, " Britannia's true knights," She happened a glance to Suzkau who smiled in return, "and…" She looked around the stadium for a moment, as f searching for someone. Finally, her eyes landed on Lelouch who smiled and gave a thumbs-up to her. She smiled as she finished her thanks, "And to the masked hero Batman for stopping my brother Schneizel el Britannia in his mad quest for peace."

As she continued to talk and express her apologies for the actions that her family had taken over the years, Kallen decided to ask Lelouch a question concerning his mad half brother. "Any changes in Schneizel's condition since you last check on him?" She asked in a whisper so no one could hear them.

"Not yet, and I don't know whether to be happy or worried because of that," Lelouch said as he looked down to the ground thinking of his half brother.

They were referring to of course the state of Scheinzel at the moment. When Lelouch had brought him back from the Damocles, they waited for him to wake up before they passed judgment on the Second Prince. The only problem was that he never did wake up, or ever will.

Apparently, due to the chemicals that the Goblin serum had when Schneizel injected himself with them, and the electrical shock he got from both his gauntlet and the Damocles computer Lelouch knocked him into, Schneizel was put into a coma.

Only in this coma, he couldn't move or do much of anything at all. It was hard to believe at first, but Schneizel el Britannia, the Second Prince of Britannia, one of the smartest people on the planet, eas effectively brain dead. But he wasn't dead, apparently, the chemicals in the serum he took kept his body alive, but his brain activity was the closest anyone's ever seen to none.

Of course, there was the possibility that Schneizel was faking it, but Lelouch check by at least once a week, both as himself, and as Batman, and on different days, and times so that no one would be able to expect him. He also checks the data on Schneizel constantly so that he could be sure the Second Prince was indeed in a vegetative state.

And so far, after so many months, he hasn't changed at all since Lelouch brought him aboard the Ikaruga. While that was good news, there was, however, one big problem with Schneizel being unresponsive in a coma…

"Well that's good, I hope." Kallen finally spoke after a minute of silence. "But what about all those experiments he did on those people, you said when you arrived at the lab, all the experiments were gone."

That was one downside to Schneizel being in the coma, the biggest actually. While Schneizel was taken off the board, the chemical, drugs, and weapons he developed disappeared without any sort of trace. They had hoped to find something in the Damocles and/or Viceroy Palace databanks to the whereabouts of the projects.

But now, after months of working with the Black Knights top hacker, the UFN's resources, and Britannia's technology, Lelouch was finally able to find out where all the projects were being stored and where.

"The good news is that we know where they all are, and that they're all in the same place," Lelouch told Kallen. "So we can take them all out in one fell swoop."

Kallen seemed to process this information. While it was good news that they found where all the tech was, she knew there was something Lelouch wasn't telling her. "And the bad news?" She asked hesitantly, almost afraid to hear it.

Lelouch stayed silent as he looked down to the ground, his raven black hair covering his eyes, as if in deep thought to any other person watching. But Kallen knew him well enough to know that he was actually worried, or more regretful, to inform her of what he found. Finally, in a low voice, his voice full of brooding.

"Kallen... have you ever been to **Gotham?**"

Kallen gasped at the name of that accursed city.

While Pendragon might've been its capital, _Gotham City_ was the prime example of all of Britannia's flaws, evil aspects, and its belief on Social Darwinism. She had only visited the city once with her father when she was younger, and she was utterly terrified by what she saw. The city was worse than any other Area she had been to or heard of. The rich and powerful lived their lives in such wealth and arrogance in tall skyscrapers and fancy penthouses and mansions. And the _Narrows,_ which was the equivalent to the ghettos in Japan and other Areas, was twenty times worse than them, even Shinjuku after Clovis had ordered the massacre. The poor were barely able to scrape by for one day and people died in there every day, either due to suicide, starvation, or crime. And the _crime_! Gotham had the highest crime rate in the entire world history. The crime happened almost every minute during the day there, it was even worse at night. And because of all the corrupt politicians, no criminal ever stayed behind bares for long because they were always out within the hour. There were crimes of every kind, robbery of all kinds, assault, rape, murder, theft, BE, trafficking both drug and sex, arms dealing, blackmailing, extortion, you name it, Gotham City has it all. There were even some rumors of cannibalism in the sewers. Most of the Nobel men who lost their standings due to Lelouch's ascension to the throne even went to Gotham, because with all the corrupt politics, they could be protected, in fact, they being there has caused it all to become worse.

Whether everything she just thought of the city was true, there was one thing she knew was an absolute fact: Gotham City was the closest thing to Hell in the entire world.

It then dawned on her the reason he asked that question. "Are you saying that Schneizel sent his most dangerous and experimental projects to that wretched city?!" She almost screamed but was able to keep it down when she remembered where they were.

"Yes." Lelouch nodded as he answered while brooding. "Thanks to the info I got from Diethard, I was able to find a shipping line of a shell company Schneizel was associated with to track the deliveries to Gotham. And they _all_ went to Gotham."

Kallen thought for a moment, then began to offer a suggestion. "We should tell Ohgi and Nunnally. If we get their support, we could probably get out hands on the projects before-"

"No!" Lelouch cut her off.

"What?! Why not?!" Kallen asked.

"Think about it." Lelouch simply asked her. "If the Black Knights come in and invade a city in the Britannian Homeland, then it will case and outrage and it could lead to war all over again. And we can't ask Nunnally to send in an army, the Nobles and politicians will have to much sway, she'd never find them, and lives will be the only thing taken. Innocent lives."

Kallen's head fell down in depression at his reasoning. As always, he was right. They couldn't go charging in and guns blazing on either side or else people would just die. Innocent people. And Lelouch would never allow that to happen again.

"However," Lelouch suddenly said, causing Kallen to look up back at him, his trademark devious smirk was plastered on his face as his head rose up and she could see his eyes, "Batman doesn't have those restrictions, or under any such jurisdiction. Nor is he officially tied to the Black Knights or the Britannian military in any official way."

Kallen then felt a light bulb go off in her head. "Your going to Gotham are you?" She asked though she had a pretty good idea as to what his answer was. The look on his face was all she ever needed to confirm her suspicion. "But what about Japan?"

"Japan doesn't need another costumed hero. Not anymore. It already had one, and I can't change that." Lelouch simply said as he looked around the crowd. "Besides, I've honestly been wanting to do this for a while now. If I truly was gonna make Batman different than Zero, I had to not only start over with a new identity but also with a new place where I would fight injustice. And the most crime-ridden city ever happens to have the last remaining pieces of my brother's twisted experiments, that's a perfect place to establish the legend of Batman."

It then clicked in Kallen's mind that this was something Lelouch was planing all along. "Is that what you've been doing these past few months then? Getting ready to leave?" Kallen asked him

There was a long pause before Lelouch answered her. "Yes. I already picked out a mansion at least a few miles away from the city. It belonged to some old rich playboy by the name of Bruce Wayne before he passed away. He didn't have any heirs so the house was left to the City of Gotham. But as the former Emperor, I managed to pull a couple of strings and gain ownership of the house. But what really made me by the house was that beneath the mansion is a large cave with an opening that leads to the main road. A **Batcave** I decided to call it. Sayoko and others have been there for the past month getting everything ready for when I arrive, cleaning it out, moving equipment I'll need into the cave, and getting it all set up."

Kallen stayed silent as she waited for him to finish. When it appeared he did, she asked the only question that mattered. "When do you leave?"

Lelouch spared a glance at her beautiful blue eyes. He then sighed. "The day after tomorrow," Lelouch told her with regret in his voice. "After the wedding."

The two stood there in silence as Nunnally continued to speak in the background of their hearing. Kallen seemed to be in deep thought as Lelouch waited for some kind of response. "Well, it looks like I have some packing to do." Kallen finally said.

On his face, Lelouch had a look of bewilderment and confusion at her words. "What?" He asked.

Kallen then let out a sigh as she slapped the butt of her hand against her head. "You really didn't expect me to just let you go alone to the most crime-ridden city on Earth now did you?" Kallen asked.

"W-well..." Lelouch began to stutter as he tried to come up with an explanation. "I-I had thought that you would want to continue in the Black Knights. And stay with your mother now that she's released. Do you?"

Kallen seemed to give such reasoning a moment of thought. Finally, she said, "I would like to be with my mother now that I know how she really feels about me. And I would love continuing as a Black Knight and defending the weak. But..." She then raised her hand up to Lelouch's cheek and stroked it with such a soft touch. "My place is, and always has been by your side. For better or for worse." She then gave a smile.

That was it really. Her smile, her passion, and her willingness to stay with him no matter what he'd done, no matter who he was, or what masks he wore. Those were the main reasons why he fell in love with Kallen Kozuki.

Taking the initiative, he pulled her in for a kiss which she then returned with all her might. They stayed like that for a long time before they regrettably had to pull away for air. They smiled at each other as they then turned to look back at Nunnally again.

Lelouch took another look around at the crowd and smiled at the happy sight before him. However, he suddenly stopped. '_What's he doing over there?' _Lelouch asked himself in his mind.

Who he was referring to seemed to be a Japanese, a tall, yet with a somewhat athletic build to him. His face was that of a man with a determination to accomplish something that most would deem crazy. He should know, that was the kind of face he wore often in the mirror.

"Nunnally sure has come a long way as Empress. Hasn't she, Lelou-" She began to ask, but stopped when she soon realized that her raven-haired fiance was now gone from her side. But, she had a pretty good idea of what he was doing.

But still, she sighed in annoyance. "I hate it when he does that." She muttered under her breath as she looked back toward the stage where Nunnally was finishing up her speech.

* * *

"Now is the time to stand united in this new age of peace." Nunnally declared to the crowd before her. "Now is the time to leave past grudges where they belong, in the past, and look towards the future. For the sake of-"

She was interrupted by the sound of screaming from the back of the crowd. Suddenly, a white van came charging through the entrance and tearing through the crowd of civilians that were dodging out of the way, making its way all to Nunnally.

Acting fast, Suzaku pushed Nunnally out of the way of the van as it was upon her, not wanting to incur the wrath of the now warrior skilled Lelouch. The others on stage also moved out of the path of the vehicle when it came crashing on stage.

Suzaku heard the door open and outstood a Japanese man with a gun pointed straight at Nunnally's head. "Death to the Empress of Britannia!" He shouted. Acting instinctively, Suzkau jumped in front of Nunnally to take that bullet!

However, before the man could the trigger, an object whirled through the air and knocked the gun out of his. He held his hand in pain as he looked to the object that disarmed him. He gasped as he saw that the object was a familiar object with red wings on the side and shaped like a bat. That meant-

The next thing he knew, he was on the receiving end of one of Suzaku's famous spin kicks that knocked him to the right of the van. Where he came into contact with a black claw that grabbed him by the face, then slammed him viciously against the side of the van! And caused everything to go black.

"Cutting it a bit close there you know?!" Suzaku told his friend as he stood fully up.

"What can I say, I have a thing for dramatics!" Batman shrugged as he responded back to his friend.

The ryal guards then came up to the one who attempted to assassinate the empress and hoisted him up, rather harshly. "Get that piece of scum to lockup immediately! Inform me the second he awakes, for when he does, he will have to deal with me!" Cornelia's order rang out to the guard, her voice filled with such venom and anger that her beloved sister was almost taken from her again. Lelouch and Suzaku now almost felt sorry for the poor man.

Almost.

As the man was then dragged away to lockup, Batman took a moment to lock eyes with all those on the stage and exchanged knowing nods with all of them.

He then took a glance up in the sky and that was when he made his vow. That he would work, sweat, bleed, live, die to protect this world from those that seek to destroy it or harm those who live in it. He would protect the world he created with his dying breath and would live to see it become the peaceful world that Nunnally, Kallen, Suzaku, and so many others desire it to be.

'_Yes.' _He thought to himself as he looked down at his hand. '_I…'_ He then reached his hand up to the sky and acted like he was grabbing the sun. '_I destroyed… the world…' _He then clenched his fist together in tight determination. '_And created it.' _He then brought his fist over his heart and smiled.

'_Anew.'_

**A/N: Annnnnnnnddddddd DONE!**

**Lelouch has finally completed his transformation into the Dark Knight!**

**I finally finished my first fanfiction! I really enjoyed all your comments and your support in making this story! And your ideas too, even though I didn't use some of them! Still, thank you for being with me for this whole ride.**

**Also, I want to note that Lelouch is back in the classic Batman Beyond suit. That black and gold suit was moe for piloting his advanced Knightmare than it was for personal combat use. Also, I like that look for Batman Beyond.**

**Now in regards to the Black Knights, I know most of you, perhaps all of you wanted them to be punished in some way, like executed, or something else, but I decided to go with this approach. Mainly because this seems like something Batman would do. I decided to mirror the relationship between the Black Knights and Lelouch like Batman and Amanda Waller. Those two in some way keep each other from making a move on the other because they both now secrets that could end up ruining them and their lives, so I did the same relationship with the Black Knights and Lelouch, giving him the ability to ruin their lives if they ever got in his way or went after him again. I hope this will do.**

**Also, yes there is a Gotham City in my world. And I don't know if I did it truly any justice describing what it was like. Because this is a Gotham City that was under the rule of an Emperor that believes in Social Darwinism and promotes inequality, so it will most likely be worse than the Gotham in Batman canon.**

**And I'd like to point out that the ending I did there was similar to how Batman The Telltale Series Season 1 Episode 5 ended. I love that video game!**

**And happy graduation to the class of 2020! I posted this chapter in honor of those graduating this year! Also because Ashfords students are finally graduating!**

**Also, I have an announcement to make. I've been thinking hard about this for a while and have come to a conclusion. Some of you have asked if I can give Lelouch some sidekicks. But I have decided not to do that. Mainly because right now, Lelouch is, like still a teenager and beginning his Batman career, and Bruce didn't have a Robin or any sidekick till he was in his 30s. He will have partners, like Kallen, and I may have Suzkau become something like Nightwing, but no sidekicks at this time.**

**Also on a final note: Some of you have been asking if there is a sequel to this story. Well, I got good news, more good news, probably somewhat bad news or good news depending on how you look at it, and true bad news. **

**The first bit of good news is that yes, there is gonna be a sequel, and it will take place in Gotham. **

**The other good news is that I planned for this to be a trilogy because Batman is aways good in trilogies. (Ex: The Dark Knight and Arkham Trilogies)**

**The 'probably somewhat bad news or good news depending on how you look at it' is that I may not write the sequel first. I have been getting other ideas for Code Geass crossovers in my head while writing this story. Such as a Star Wars crossover, where Lelouch becomes a Jedi and fights against Britannia. Or one with Gundam, where Lelouch pilots a Gundam and dominate the battlefield due to a Gundam's superior power. With the Gundam I would have him pilot the Strike Freedom and the 00 Raiser in two separate stories. Mainly because those are my favorite Gundams from my favorite Gundam Series, piloted by my favorite Gundam pilots. And I won't change my mind on it.**

**The actual bad news is that, unlike this story, it would take longer to write, even the other stories. Because while I do have a clear idea with how I want the sequel and the other stories to go, I didn't write down like an outline or a rough draft in a journal as I did with this one, so I won't have a clear set of dialogue or events happen in the stories. But I do have a plot for the sequel.**

**Do y'all want to hear it?**

**If not, too bad, I'm telling you anyway.**

**It takes place in Gotham about two years after this story. Lelouch has established Batman in the underworld and has grown comfortable in the role as the City's protector. But then a bounty is placed on his head and he must find who put it on him. He only has one clue to the identity of the man who's out for his blood. He used to hold the 'Power of the Kings' himself: Geass.**

**In this story, I would adopt elements from Batman Arkham Origins, mainly the plot with eight assassins trying to kill Batman. I already have about over half of them picked, some will be from the game, but others are apart of Batman Beyond's own Rogue's Gallery. Also, I'll make this story more Batman-like, while this one was more similar to the Code Geass side. Meaning less Knightmare action and more dark and gritty detective work. Also, I'll include some of your ideas into the sequel, such as Kallen becoming Catwoman and being his partner, both in life and crime-fighting.**

**I will appreciate any suggestions you guys have for assassins. I will give you a post-credit tease as to half of those I've chosen already. I have two other chosen that I won't show because that would be spoilers to the big bad of the next.**

* * *

"_And what was at first a rousing speech from Britannia's 100th Empress, became a sudden attack on her life! Thankfully, due to the combined efforts of the Knight of Zero Suzaku Kururugi and the masked vigilante known as Batman, the two were able to subdue the assassin and save the Empress!" _Milly reported on a television screen in the wall.

"Pfft! There's no way that Bat guy actually exists right? I mean, who dresses up as a bat unless it's Halloween?!" A customer said as he continued drinking, his cup having an olive in it.

Behind him, a man was sitting in a chair playing darts. He just hit a bullseye and didn't seem t even care. "You should never underestimate a man because of how he dresses, even if it is for Halloween." The man said as he threw another dart, hitting the bullseye of another target.

The guy that was talking before gave a disgusted snarl at the man. "You must sound so confident just because you hit the bullseye a couple of times. I would love to hear what you'd sound like when you miss." He said as he was about to swallow the olive in his drink.

Only he didn't. Before he could get a bit in, a dart whizzed past his face and caught the olive in its needle. Then it ricochets off the bartender's shelf and off the ceiling lam and a number of other objects before it hit dead center on the remaining target.

All occupants in the bar dropped their mouths as they looked to the man who threw the dart, who stood from his chair, grabbing his coat. He then looked at his phone and frowned when a message came up.

He then stalked over to the man who insulted him, because he surely felt insulted and spoke in a very low, but very threatening tone. "I _never_ miss. _Never_." He emphasized never to get his point across.

He then walked over to the barkeeper and handed him a card. "If you have any damage due to my performance, just call that number and I'll take care of it." The man said as he then made his way out of the bar.

But before he stepped out the door, he called back. "Oh and the names Lawton. Floyd Lawton."

* * *

_Meanwhile_

In another city, the same news broadcast was playing on a large TV, while it was pouring. While this was going on, a man in a hoodie was walking down an alleyway trying to seek some shelter from the rain.

However, he stopped when he saw two people walk toward him from the exit of the alley. Not wanting any trouble, he started to walk out the way he came in, only to be stopped by another pair of men.

When he was cornered in the middle, the tallest man spoke in a sarcastic manner. "We don't want any trouble grandpa. All we want is a little direction, or maybe more helpful, some money." One of the men then flashed a knife. He then reached out his hand to place his shoulder on the hoodies man. "I'm sure you'd be happy to-"

He then screamed in pain as the hooded figure grabbed his arm and violently broke it., he collapsed to the ground screaming in pain. The others became quickly under high alert. The one with the knife charged.

But the figure grabbed his hand with inhuman speed and disarmed him. Then they grabbed the knife and killed the man on the spot in the blink of an eye. He then attacked another man and stabbed him in the stomach repetitively before he fell oeuvre dead.

The final one standing the shook with such fear as he looked at the figure. The figure then dropped the knife, as if saying, 'I'll make it easy for you'. The man then threw a punch, but the figure dodged then caught him in his arms and began to strangle him. The man fumbled to get free and ended up pulling off the figure's hood.

The man who's ar was broken watched at the figure he thought was an easy rob strangle his best friend. Finally, the friend stopped struggling and feel to the ground, dead. The figure then turned his head and looked down at the man who thought he could threaten him.

With the aid of lightning, he was able to get a clear view of his soon to be killer's face. He had white hair with a goatee to go along with it. And now that he got a closer look at his body, he seemed to be in an extremely fit form. But what was really surprising is that he had an eyepatch over his right eye.

That was the last thing he saw as the eye patch man stomped his foot hard on his face, breaking the neck. He then walked out of the alley without a care in the world or without even a hint of being out of breath.

* * *

_Meanwhile_

Deep in the wilds of Africa, a hunter returned to his tent with his prize. The lead lion of a pride. Too easy a capture for him. And that made him sick and angered.

Ever since that panther attack, and those cybernetic enhancements, he'd been unstoppable in his hunt of the wild. But without a decent challenge, he felt worthless and the hunt held no more purpose. He needed a new prey, one who would push him, and his enhancements to their limit.

As he set his prize for the day down on the ground with the other easily capture prey, he took a glance at the television that was turned on showing the same news report. And his eyes widened in amazement.

'_There!' _He thought as he looked closely at the screen, which held his next pize. '_This man, no, this creature, will be the ultimate hunt for me! Fate has given me this gift, and I will claim it with no hesitation.'_

* * *

_Meanwhile_

Deep underground in an abandoned subway station, a man with noise-canceling earmuffs was currently working on an experimental suit. However, the noise cancelation wasn't for the outside sound, bu the rining that was going on in his ears. All the while, the radio next to him was reporting the same thing as the TVs up top were.

When it seemed like he was done tinkering, he put the gauntlet position of the white suit on. He then aimed his arm at what seemed to be sturdy support and activated the arm. Suddenly, an ear-deafening blast of sonics was fired from the gauntlet, but he didn't seem to be affected.

The support shook uncontrollably for a second before it came crashing down due to the high vibrations from the sonic weapon.

He then gave off an evil smirk as he took the gauntlet off and continued working. After all, he had to make a name for himself now that there was a 'Batman' around now.

* * *

**Do you know who they are? I have more planned out for the sequel, but those would give away spoilers. If you have any ideas as to who I should add, let me know in the reviews or personal messages.**

**I'll see you in the next story!**

**Also, I've been thinking of making like a deleted scenes version of this story. Meaning I would have hidden and cut scenes that show more of the story. Like maybe when Lelouch got his fear of bats and the training he did with Suzaku, stuff like that I would include. Let me know what you all think of that idea. Also if you have any ideas, I'd like to hear them and will probably use some of them.**

**Update: I have decided to write my Gundam Crossovers first. So be on the lookout for them. I'll release a prologue of sorts that will introduce both sides of the Gundam crossover before writing the stories separately. I'll have more details in the prologue when I release it.**

**New Update: The prologue for my Gundam Crossover is now posted. Look for Gundam UC and Code Geass crossover.**


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